Button relishing final race weekend in Japan
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA driver Jenson Button is set to make his final professional race start in Japan this weekend, a country that has played a huge role in his career.
Button, of course, raced with Honda in Formula One before going on to win the Super GT Championship with the brand back in 2018.
At the end of the season, he is set to call time on his full-time professional career, and while he isn’t ruling out the odd race here and there in the future, this weekend’s WEC race will likely be his last in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’.
“I’ve had a lot of great experiences racing in Japan, from racing here in F1 for 16 years, racing in Super GT for a couple of years and obviously racing in WEC back in 2018 and the last couple of years,” he says. “It’s always been fun coming back. This country has so many fans of motor racing and they are such passionate fans. It’s really lovely to see them in the paddock.
“I will definitely miss racing in Japan, but there’s always a time when you have to move on. This is a moment in my life where I’ve got a lot going on. Family is the most important thing to me right now, and you need to dedicate a lot of time. Even though there are only eight races, you need to dedicate a lot of time to WEC. It consumes you. With the way the cars are, the systems, I don’t think most people understand how complicated they are and how much time and effort goes into getting ready behind the scenes for a WEC race.
“I’ll miss it, but also there’s so much more for me in life to go and do and achieve, and I’m looking forward to that.”
Barnicoat pleased with progress since return
Lexus factory driver Ben Barnicoat is here this weekend with AKKODIS ASP for his second WEC start since returning from the mountainbiking injury that kept him out of four of the first five races this season.
The Briton told reporters earlier today that he is grateful for the support he received from Lexus during and after his recovery.
“Facing adversity and setbacks is never what you want as a sportsperson, and I’ve never experienced a challenge like it in my life,” he said in today’s pre-event press conference.
“My focus shifted from racing to getting healthy. You have to take time, with physical challenges to get there, and mental, to make sure you’re ready to get back in the car. I’m lucky that since I’ve been back, I’ve raced a lot.
“I’ve been lucky that Lexus has allowed me to compete in more races to get more mileage and improve fitness. I’m happy with how it’s going. I was sad to have not been a part of the team’s first win, pole and podium all while I was gone, but it was great to see, and I’m happy to be back now.”
Heart of Racing targeting a podium before the end of the season
Aston Martin factory driver Mattia Drudi maintains that the US-flagged Heart of Racing team is still entirely focused on finishing the season on a high, after narrowly missing out on LMGT3 silverware on multiple occasions earlier in the year.
“It’s been a positive season for us, we’ve had the pace to fight everywhere except Brazil, we just didn’t manage to get a win or a podium,” the Italian says. “The target for the rest of the season is to be on the podium before we get to next year.”
He added that the open dialogue between the two Aston Martin teams in the field has been a real positive. Racing Spirit of Leman, like Heart of Racing, is run by Prodrive, which ensures both sides of the garage work towards a common goal.
“We’re working together, even if it’s two different names. Racing Spirit of Leman and their drivers are doing a good job. Eduardo (Barrichello) in particular has been impressive considering his low level of experience in a GT3 car. He’s young, but he’s always been quick in other series, and he’s doing a really nice job.”
Milesi: Alpine has a “good package” for Fuji
Alpine’s Charles Milesi is hopeful that this weekend could produce the #35 crew’s best result of the season. It’s been a tough campaign for Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg and Paul Loup Chatin, with a best finish of eighth at Spa, but the Frenchman is encouraged by the A424’s performance on Friday. Milesi finished the day with the fifth fastest lap in the combined rankings.
“We have a good car, we’ll just have to see how it goes with the weather. It feels like Austin, where we had good pace, but only in the right conditions,” he told DSC.
“We don’t really understand why we are so strong, as on paper our car doesn’t suit the track. Sector 2, for instance, we are struggling a bit because we lack a bit of downforce, but in the end, I think with the setup we got right last year, and we have again this year. Overall, we have a good package, so if we have a good, clean race, we can aim high.”
With one eye already on next year, Milesi added that he is optimistic that season three for the A424 can be a memorable one. Alpine is developing an update to the car’s aero package, which is set to be introduced for the start of the 2026 season, and this is giving everyone within the camp a boost heading into the off-season.
“The window of the car is narrow on some tracks,” he admitted. “But we know what we need to do to improve the car for next year and see how much we can gain.
“We need to see how it goes because we haven’t tried the update in testing yet, but it can only be better than what we currently have with the aero. We just need to test it over the winter and see how it goes next year.”
Fan zone alive
The fan zone at this year’s race features a handful of notable cars, including a Peugeot 9X8 with a red-accented livery and both a Toyota GR010 in the heritage colour scheme it ran at Le Mans this year, alongside the actual Toyota TS020.
Tandy on site
Nick Tandy is on site for Porsche Penske Motorsport, acting as its nominated reserve driver for the weekend. Previously at Interlagos, Felipe Nasr from the IMSA side of the PPM operation was on standby. Should he be called into action, it would be for his first WEC start since 2022, when he was with Corvette.
Special prize for pole sitters
The pole setting drivers for the 100th FIA WEC on Sunday are set to receive commemorative WEC 100 helmets to mark the milestone weekend for the world championship.
Both sport a gold-and-blue design in line with the WEC 100 branding. The back of the Hypercar helmet is inscribed with the names of all 35 drivers to have claimed pole in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s top-tier to date. The LMGT3 variant draws inspiration from local Japanese culture.
Take a look at our celebratory helmet livery! ✨
Tomorrow’s pole-sitters will each receive a specially designed helmet to mark the 100th WEC race.
What do you think?#WEC #6HFuji #WEC100 @fia pic.twitter.com/m9eWSVhpyb
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) September 26, 2025
Image credits: DPPI
