Jenson Button has confirmed that he will be taking part in the Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium in December.
The Honda F1 driver competed in last year’s event, representing England alongside three-time World Touring Car champion Andy Priaulx.
Unfortunately (and, pretty typically, given their nationality and the venue) the pair were bunged out in the semi-finals only to see Germany take the ultimate prize. Quite why we expected anything different is a bit of a mystery now.
Last year’s big grudge match was presented as an England-Scotland contest with a jokey ‘war of words’ drummed up between Button and David Coulthard.
This year things will change. Confronting the age-old home nations sporting dilemma head on, organisers are going for two British teams, “leaving more options for potential drivers to enter.”
Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel have already confirmed their re-attendance and will be the team to beat – although everyone is expecting to hear Coulthard will be there for a valedictory appearance following his retirement from F1.
Button said: “I never thought I’d be able to say I’d compete for my country against Germany at Wembley, but it was great to do that last year, and the crowd were awesome.
“As soon as I heard Schumacher and Vettel had signed up for Germany again, I knew I had to come back to take them on.
“Last year was the first time I’d done The Race of Champions and, although it’s all a bit of fun and we say it doesn’t matter who wins, I was gutted that we lost out to the German team.
“It’s the one chance of the year where we all get to compete against each other in identical cars, and I’m determined to help get Britain through to the final this time!”
Learn more about the event, including the cheap ticket deals that are on until the end of the month, by visiting its website here: http://www.raceofchampions.com/