SOLBERG WOULD WELCOME BUTTON
World Rallycross champion Petter Solberg says he would welcome F1 driver Jenson Button to rallycross, should the British driver decide to follow in his father John’s footsteps by competing in the discipline.
Button announced last week that he will take a sabbatical from F1 next year, and has previously alluded to the fact that he would like to race in rallycross.
“He could be good fun, especially with his father’s history in rallycross,” said Solberg. “I’ve talked to him about this a few times and it could be interesting if he came here. But first, he just has to sum everything up, and see what he will do and how his contract with Honda is – I think there’re a lot of things involved in it. We can only hope, but it would definitely be good for the sport.”
Button is yet to announce any plans beyond the end of his stint in F 1, which will conclude after the final grand prix of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Alongside David Coulthard, Button sampled a rallycross Supercar last year as part of a BBC F1 feature that was broadcast before the Russian GP in October, where he drove a JRM Racing Mini RX at Lydden Hill.
Solberg added: “Jenson’s a world champion, so he is a good driver. It’s all about the passion and how much you want to put into it when you’re going into a sport. If he takes the decision to go to rallycross, it will be proper.”
Jacques Villeneuve, 1997 F1 champion, raced in World RX in 2014, driving for the Albatec Racing team, but failed to make the semi-finals in any of his seven starts.