Jenson Button has announced he will compete in the inaugural season of Extreme E in 2021 with his own team, JBXE Racing.
The Briton is the third F1 World Champion to be associated with the series, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fielding their own teams.
However, Button is the only one of the three that will race in the all-new Extreme E campaign, which is set to get underway at the start of April in Saudi Arabia.
The off-road category, which will use spec electric SUVs, currently has ten teams signed up to race during the 2021 season.
“There are three F1 world champions that have a team in Extreme E,” Button told Sky Sports F1.
“There are multiple world champion rally drivers, rally-cross drivers, Dakar champions, off-road champions from the States… it’s an insane line-up.
“It’s five races around the world in areas that have been affected by climate change and that have big environmental impact from climate change.
“The great thing is that we will be racing in those places, so it’s bringing awareness, which is the whole point of this category, and there will also be scientists on the ground researching those areas and hopefully learning from them so we can put it right in the future.
“There are so many positives to be taken from this championship. I’m really excited about it, excited about competing against the best in the world in off-road and driving these electric vehicles in place that most people haven’t ever been before.
“Nobody has put a foot on the ground in some of those areas so it’s very exciting and I hope that we can bring as much awareness as possible to those areas.”
Button’s Extreme E announcement comes days after he confirmed he had re-joined the Williams F1 team as a senior advisor.
