Button to return to top-level racing at age of 44

Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button will return to top-level motorsport at the age of 44 in 2024.

Button will drive the Jota Porsche 963 in the top hypercar class in the World Endurance Championship, which includes the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

The Englishman retired from Formula 1 in 2016 but is returning for a full season 15 years after winning his F1 title in 2009.

"I'm thrilled to be racing in the 2024 World Endurance Championship," he said.

"I'm already looking forward to the first race, but also know there's a lot of work to be done so that we arrive prepared."

Button is 43 now but turns 44 on 19 January, before the season begins.

A veteran competitor behind the wheel, he contested 306 F1 races across 18 years and has made several guest appearances across motorsport since 2016.

Those have included a one-off at Le Mans this year, but this time he will compete in an eight-race season across Europe, Asia and America.

His announcement comes as sportscar racing is experiencing a renaissance, with several major car manufacturers returning thanks to recent design rules allowing teams to experiment with performance philosophies, while other series impose strict limits.

Following a period when Toyota were the only top manufacturer in WEC, the 2023 season saw Porsche, Ferrari and Cadillac join Peugeot in a reinvigorated championship, which saw Ferrari shock Le Mans by winning after a 50-year absence.

The 2024 campaign will see Alpine, BMW and Lamborghini also begin hypercar programmes, with Aston Martin joining in 2025.

Button will also race in the American version of WEC - the IMSA Sportscar Championship - for one race at the Daytona 24 Hours in Florida, United States, in late January.

He will drive the WTR Andretti Acura (Honda) GTP prototype.

Several big-name drivers have been linked with a return to sportscars - including four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel, who could race for Aston Martin in 2025 after competing for them in F1 at the end of his career.

Mick Schumacher last month signed to drive for Alpine in 2024 - his seven-time F1 champion father Michael began his top-level racing career in sportscars in the legendary Sauber-Mercedes C11.

Lamborghini announced on Thursday their full driver line-up, which includes former F1 drivers Romain Grosjean of France and Russia's Daniil Kvyat.

Round one of the 2024 FIA WEC season takes place in Doha (Qatar) from 1-2 March.