Button admits he found Le Mans “disconcerting” at first
Former F1 World Champion Jenson Button says his first experience of Le Mans was “another world” from what he was used to, but ended the test day happy with his confidence levels.










Button completed his first 20 laps around the Circuit de la Sarthe in the SMP Racing BR Engineering BR1-AER he shares with fellow ex-F1 racer Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin.
“I was reasonably happy, but in the morning I found it another world – driving around here in a car I don’t really know,” said Button. “I found it quite disconcerting. But we made some good changes over lunch, and I was much happier with the car in the afternoon.
“[I had] a lot more confidence. High speed, good confidence, and the braking was much better too. We had quite a lot of ‘push’ and a lot of the corners here are very tight and they come up on you very quickly, which is very different from what I’m used to.
“I definitely got to grips with it in the afternoon, much happier. But you always want more running, and new tyres. We didn’t have enough time, look at the data we have, and hopefully we get some good laps in the Wednesday tests.”
Petrov ended the day fifth quickest with a lap of 3m21.603s. The #11 car lost track time with two issues, one in the morning and another just after lunch.
Button explained: “We lost a lot time because of a sensor issue this morning, so we lost a couple of hours just in the garage, it was a shame. Then we had another small issue after lunch, so our track on time was quite limited. I only ran one set of tyres, not a new set.
“I think I did 20 laps, but I learnt a lot. This place is all about building confidence and gaining time. You can go out and be as quick as you can, but there’s a big chance you’ll go off. You’ve really got to respect this circuit. It’s tough, but I feel very confident now at the end of the day.
“But I’d rather have had another 50 laps.”
Flashback: Le Mans 1980, the year Button was born...

Le Mans test day: Alonso stays on top in afternoon
Montoya: “I had no idea how cool Le Mans would be”

Latest news
WEC assessing Sebring alternative for US round from 2024
The FIA World Endurance Championship has admitted that it is examining alternatives to Sebring for the US round of the series from 2024.
Taylor: "Worn out" error reset button better than Rolex 24 limp mode
Ricky Taylor has zero worries over the pace of the new Acura ARX-06, but believes the new GTP cars will encounter several sensor issues over the course of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
Number change on Foyt’s entry for IndyCar rookie Pedersen
AJ Foyt Racing has revealed that, contrary to last week’s announcement, Benjamin Pedersen will not run number #88 on his car.
Wehrlein hails "perfect" Porsche strategy, efficiency for Diriyah FE win
Pascal Wehrlein reckoned that Porsche's Diriyah E-Prix strategy and efficiency worked "perfectly" en route to claiming his second career victory in Formula E.
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past
The lesser-remembered sportscar exploits of BMW's two-trick pony
Steve Soper is so famous for his forays in touring cars that his sportscar achievements are often overlooked. But as the versatile Briton explained for a special feature commemorating 50 years of BMW's Motorsport division earlier this year, he preferred the cars.
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, are arguably the greatest sportscars of all time.
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad.
How Formula E's double-duty drivers got on at Le Mans
Eight Formula E drivers made the 7,000-mile sprint from the streets of Jakarta to the fabled Circuit de la Sarthe and every one had a story to share at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite a range of triumphs and disappointments, each driver doubling up on the day job played a key role in their teams' fortunes
When the moribund GTE Pro class stole the show at Le Mans
As the GT class faces a time of transition, it’s a good time to recall the greatest hits of the GTE Pro years that pitched manufacturers and top drivers into the tightest of duels.
The great Le Mans garagistes that challenged factory might
Glickenhaus is the latest in a line of small-time constructors to take on the big names. Here are some of the finest in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours
How junior formula giant Prema is readying for its Le Mans future
Prema remains a colossus in single-seaters, but the serial Formula 2 and Formula 3 title-winning squad has joined forces with top GT squad Iron Lynx for an attack on sportscars in the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series. Ahead of its debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours, its sights are firmly fixed on LMP2 glory – and a future in Hypercars next year...
Subscribe and access Motorsport.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.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.