Jenson Button says he will 'definitely' race full-time in 2018
McLaren-Honda reserve driver and 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button says he will "definitely" make a full-time return to racing next year
Button stepped down from F1 at the end of last year and is currently on a sabbatical, with an option to return with McLaren in 2018 should Fernando Alonso choose to leave or retire at the end of his deal.
He replaced Alonso for May's Monaco Grand Prix while the Spaniard contested the Indy 500, insisting after that race his F1 career was over, and his participation in this weekend's Suzuka 1000km will be his second competitive outing of the year.
Ahead of the Super GT series' flagship race, Button said he was currently in talks about "a full season" programme for 2018.
"I will be definitely doing something next year for a full season," said Button.
"Whether it's here or in America or somewhere else, I don't know yet.
"But the discussions are underway. We'll see how this weekend goes.
"If it goes well and if I enjoy the weekend, which I think I will, then maybe I could be racing here next year."
Tyres will affect Suzuka chances
Button will drive a Honda NSX-GT in the Suzuka 1000km for Team Mugen.
Honda is one of three manufacturers with Super GT works efforts, alongside Lexus - which has dominated the 2017 season so far - and Nissan, while the series also has four tyre suppliers.
Button said his team was at a disadvantage compared to other squads, with Mugen running on the less fancied Yokohama tyres.
"In terms of where I can finish I really don't know," he said.
"It's the longest race of the year in Super GT. In this type of racing you have a tyre war, with four different tyre manufacturers.
"At the moment the most competitive tyre is not the tyre that we use, it's been the Bridgestone.
"We just got to use the facts and stats from the last few races. It makes the race a little bit hard for us.
"But hopefully with the higher temperatures our Yokamahas with work better than in the last few races we could be a bit more competitive.
"It's not going to be an easy race but we will do all we can and make sure everything we do is perfect.
"If we do that, we've done the best we can, then the result will hopefully be there."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Same driver quality, less carnage with smaller 2024 DTM grid - van der Linde
McLaren DTM driver Schmid undergoes surgery before season opener
The experiment WEC could revisit to magnify its boom period
Schumacher confident Alpine can optimise WEC tyre warming procedures
Full-time IndyCar move “an option” says supersub Pourchaire
McLaren needs to understand puzzling “up and down” F1 form - Piastri
Quartararo: Yamaha MotoGP satellite team “must be an extension of the factory”
How motorsport is embracing the opportunities of AI
The unlikely series providing an open door to innovation
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2023
How a lost Lotus that could have revolutionised Can-Am finally came to life
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments