Button follows Hamilton, Rosberg into Extreme E

LONDON: Jenson Button has joined Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in entering a team for the inaugural Extreme E season but unlike his fellow Formula One world champions he will also be behind the wheel.

The announcement follows the unveiling of the 41-year-old British driver as a senior adviser to his ex-Formula One team, Williams, last week.

Competitors in Extreme E will race electric SUVs in five extreme environments around the world to highlight the impact of climate change and human activity on some of world's most remote locations.

The aim is also to promote sustainability and the adoption of electric vehicles. The teams will feature one male and one female driver.

Button, who has founded the JBXE team, said: "I caught the off-road bug a few years back and I absolutely loved it."

"In Extreme E they've created a product that will offer first-class racing and entertainment to the fans, but also serves to highlight the impact of climate change," added the 2009 F1 world champion.

The five-race series starts in the Saudi Arabian desert on April 3, with further races in Senegal, Greenland, Brazil and Argentina.

To minimise environmental impact, they will not be open to spectators and the command centre for the championship series will be a ship, modified to minimise emissions.

Other high-profile names involved in Extreme E include world rally champions Sebastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz and Jamie Chadwick, who won the first women's W Series in 2019.