Jenson Button was rammed into by his own team-mate while leading a race on his return to motorsport. The former Formula One driver was taking part in the FIA World Endurance Challenge for Cadillac.
Button and colleague Alex Lynn were leading the 1,812 kilometre Qatar event after three hours and were following the safety car when the incident happened. The 45-year-old, positioned ahead of Lynn, was driving slowly and reduced his speed further to get a run on the cars behind him when the safety car eventually gave way. However, the moment turned out to be a complete disaster for both drivers.
Lynn had not anticipated Button braking and failed to slow down his car in time. He collided with the back of Button’s vehicle and debris flew across the track.
Both cars suffered significant damage as a result of the collision. The front of Lynn’s vehicle carried severe cosmetic harm, while some parts appeared to fall off Button’s rear.
“Oh no! Oh no, the absolute nightmare scenario for Jota has just happened. Alex Lynn directly into the back of Jenson Button’s car, both cars damaged,” said commentator Anthony Davidson.
Button and Lynn headed straight for the pits so their teams could check out the damage.
The incident ruined the opportunity for Button to get his wish and win a race in the World Endurance Challenge. He pointed out that Cadillac have won at least one race every season and the 2009 Formula One world champion is desperate to continue that trend.
“Jota has won a race every year it’s competed in WEC, so that’s pretty, pretty impressive – I think we need to continue that trend,” Button told the BBC.
“Every driver will say they want to win [the 24 Hours of] Le Mans and that’s top of the bucket list. I just want to win a race.
“When you stand on the top of that podium and you know the talent that you’ve been up against in terms of drivers, manufacturers, teams, it’s a very impressive feat – so that has to be the aim and there’s no reason why we can’t.
“We have no excuses. The car’s good. I think the team of people we have are good.”
