Button targets first Silverstone podium since 1999
Ex-Formula 1 champion Jenson Button says he is targeting a first Silverstone podium in nearly 20 years in this weekend’s FIA World Endurance Championship race.

Button will race at Silverstone for the first time since his final full season of F1 in 2016 as he continues his WEC campaign with the SMP Racing LMP1 squad.
The 38-year-old never finished in the top three at the Northamptonshire track throughout his grand prix career, his best finish there being fourth place in 2004, 2010 and 2014.
He last took a Silverstone podium when he won a British Formula 3 race there in 1999.
“It’s one of those things, isn’t it?” said Button, who’ll share the #11 SMP BR1 with Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin after first practice at Silverstone.
“Seventeen years in F1 and never had the chance to stand on the podium, and it’s a pretty awesome podium here.
“It would be epic to be on the podium, but there’s a lot of work to do before we start thinking about that. Something hopefully to look forward to.”
SMP’s main opposition for top privateer honours is likely to come from Rebellion Racing, which finished third behind the two dominant Toyotas in both the Spa season opener, which Button missed, and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Asked about his chances of beating the Rebellions, Button replied: “We know there’s a lot of work to do and there’s a lot of speed in the car, we’ve just got to extract it.
“We need to make sure the car is working well on long runs, very different package to the Rebellion, so we need to get the best out of what we have and I think the race will play out in a very different way to Le Mans.”
SMP is also running the high-downforce body kit for the first time this weekend, having competed at both Spa and Le Mans in low-drag configuration.
“It’s the first time I’ve driven it, because testing for Le Mans was always with the low-downforce kit,” said Button. “It’s definitely different.
“There’s still a lot of work we need to do to find a balance that works around here, but the starting point is good.
“The car is really fun to drive, these things have serious downforce, so we look forward to extracting that over the weekend.”

Photo by:

Previous article
Silverstone WEC: Toyota extends gap to privateers in FP2
Next article
Silverstone WEC: Alonso tops FP3, SMP splits Toyotas

About this article
Series | WEC |
Drivers | Jenson Button |
Teams | SMP Racing |
Author | Jamie Klein |
Button targets first Silverstone podium since 1999
Trending
Ferrari enters LMH from 2023
Peugeot in sportscars
WEC: 2021 Entry list revealed!
WEC: What is a Hypercar?
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing: GR010 HYBRID HYPERCAR
How Ferrari's Hypercar project could bolster Leclerc's legacy
Ferrari's planned return to the top category at the Le Mans 24 Hours has further heightened anticipation for the 2023 race. Few concrete details are currently known, but already it has a high-profile superstar angling for involvement, which would make a refreshing change
Why Ferrari is ending its 50-year top-flight sportscar racing exile
Making a return to top-flight sportscar racing after 50 years away, Ferrari will enter the Le Mans Hypercar ranks in 2023. The Italian marque denies the link with Formula 1's new cost cap that frees up resources, but it's certainly no coincidence...
The GTE dilemma that IMSA has created for the WEC
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s decision to scrap its GT Le Mans class for 2022 raises the question of whether the FIA World Endurance Championship should phase out GTE cars. But it's a much harder decision than it appears on the surface.
The ground-up refresh behind Toyota's new Le Mans challenger
Toyota's new GR010 contender for the World Endurance Championship's Hypercar era has little in common with the LMP1 TS050 that preceded it. But within the confines of the scaled back new rules, its latest challenger will be no less formidable a prospect
The tiny increments that decided the final LMP1-era WEC
The system of success handicaps devised by the FIA World Endurance Championship to level the LMP1 playing field in the category's swansong season ended up having a counterproductive effect, as COVID cancellations also played in the champions' favour.
Why Audi’s shock return promises a new age for sportscars
OPINION: The news that Audi will return to Le Mans means we'll at last get to see the fight promised in 2012 against Peugeot and Toyota. It also gives LMDh a tangible form, which could open the floodgates for more like-minded marques to follow suit…
The eternal debate revived after the 2019/20 WEC season
It may have been missed amid the clamour over Lewis Hamilton's seventh F1 title, but Britain had another world champion crowned last weekend. Mike Conway's WEC crown raises an old conundrum - does title glory make up for the pain of Le Mans defeat?
The 10 greatest LMP1 races ranked
As the LMP1 class prepares to bow out of top-line sportscar racing at the World Endurance Championship season finale in Bahrain this weekend, Motorsport.com looks back over the past two decades to pick out the 10 of its best contests