11 June 2023 , 16:44
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Jenson Button has said he "likes" the idea that Formula 1's most accomplished drivers need to prove themselves in other formats to be called the best.
Lewis Hamilton is the active driver with the most world titles, having matched Michael Schumacher's seven when he claimed the seventh of his career in 2020. Max Verstappen has won the last two drivers' championships, though, and time is on the 25-year-old's side as he looks to chase down his rival's tally.
Button, however, has urged the pair to step away and show their quality elsewhere. The 2009 world champion started more than 300 F1 races in his own career, but has since moved onto other pursuits including NASCAR and Le Mans.
“There’s every possibility that Max could go down as the greatest but I like the idea that you can’t be the best driver in the world if you haven’t stepped outside of F1,” Button told The Times. The Englishman was speaking against the backdrop of Fernando Alonso thriving for Aston Martin after taking time away from F1.
“Fernando has done a phenomenal job. He left F1 and came and raced in Le Mans and Daytona, won both, then won Le Mans again. I don’t think his performance has dropped away in his forties.
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Alonso's first Le Mans triumph came in 2018, and he repeated the trick 12 months later. The 2023 edition of the endurance race was won by a Ferrari team, with Button's Hendrick Motorsports team finishing outside the top 30.
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Jenson Button was part of the Hendrick Motorsports team in Le Mans for the 2023 race (Getty Images)Verstappen has spoken of an interest in doing high-level endurance racing in the future, though no date has been set regarding a switch. However, speaking in May, Alonso hinted he could be open to teaming up with the reigning F1 champ.
"In the future, for sure, if there is any opportunity," the Spaniard said after the Miami Grand Prix. "We are very good friends, we are always in contact. I would love to do Le Mans – if I do Le Mans once again – with Max.
"You know that [when] you pass the car [to a team-mate], when you go to rest, [you are passing it to] the best [drivers], so your car is in the best hands. That would be an honour."
Alonso returned to Formula 1 in 2021, spending two seasons with Alpine before making the switch to current team Aston Martin. He has recorded four podium finishes in 2023 and sits third in the drivers' championship behind Verstappen and Sergio Perez.