:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/grupoclarin/IHA5WVNH2BF2XHR4PRWJOV3ZYE.jpg "A former Formula 1 champion returns to race in the WEC, which continues to add big names")
The World Endurance Championship (WEC) is one of the international motorsport events that has been growing the most and best in recent years. The arrival of Hypercars opened the game for new structures to join and, with them, really interesting names as an attraction for the public.
Toyota is the great dominator of the WEC from 2018 to date. Already without the Cordoban “Pechito” López (he leaves the Hypercars to race with a Lexus RC F GT3 of the Akkodis ASP Team in the LMGT3 category of the WEC), the Japanese already had to battle last season with Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac, Peugeot, Glickenhaus and Vanwall.
And in 2024, other very strong manufacturers with a lot of history will join in: Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Alpine and BMW, which arrive to continue enhancing the impact of Hypercars, the highest division in the category. Meanwhile, Alfa Romeo is also working on a development to arrive, perhaps, in 2025.
But not only big manufacturers come to continue promoting the category. The growth of the WEC and its Hypercars draws the attention of great drivers and now the arrival of a former Formula 1 champion has been confirmed. This is Jenson Button, who won the F1 Drivers’ World Championship in 2009 with Brawn.
The British Jenson Button surprised the world by being crowned with an unknown team (Brawn) as monarch in 2009. (AP / File)
The Briton, who also raced in the Máxima for McLaren, Williams, Benetton, Renault and Honda, will get into a Porsche 963 LMD of the Hertz Team Jota in 2024, which will have its second consecutive season in Hypercars.
Button, 43, will race with the car that will carry the number 38 and will share the wheel with his compatriot Phil Hanson and the Dane Oliver Rasmussen.
THE FERRARI AND ALPINE BETS
Ferrari returned to the WEC major division in 2023 and had a great year. They won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and were second in the Constructors’ World Championship, behind Toyota.
The Italians are confident that they will be able to give more battle in 2024 and that is why they announced that the polka Robert Kubica will join their driver structure, who will be one of the members of the third Ferrari 499P.
Robert Kubica closed his participation in F1 with Alfa Romeo. Now, he goes to another Italian team, Ferrari, in the WEC. (@alfaromeoracing)
As there can only be two official cars, Kubica will be part of a team that will run as a private team. The Pole has just been champion in the LMP2 division of the WEC and wanted to make the jump to Hypercars.
He dreamed of racing a Porsche with the Jota team, but finally closed with AF Corse, which manages Ferrari in the WEC. Kubica raced in Formula 1 for BMW Sauber, Renault, Williams and Alfa Romeo.
Mick Schumacher will be an Alpine driver in the WEC in 2024. The German, son of the legendary Michael Schumacher, begins a new stage in his career.
Another who will join the WEC will be the German Mick Schumacher. The son of Michael Schumacher (who raced in F1 for Haas and is a current Mercedes test driver) will race for Alpine, which joins the Hypercars with the A424 LMDh model.
Schumacher will share the French car with Paul-Loup Chatin and Ferdinand Hasburg. The other blue car will maintain the lineup composed of Matthieu Vaxverre, Nicolas Lapierre and Charles Milesi, who raced with the French team in LMP2 in 2023.