Jenson Button completes first WEC LMP1 test with SMP Racing
Formula 1 champion Jenson Button says he was left "smiling ear to ear" after completing his maiden run in SMP Racing's BR Engineering BR1 LMP1 car at Magny-Cours


Button is set to make his World Endurance Championship debut next month in the Le Mans 24 Hours after agreeing a deal to contest the 2018/19 superseason alongside Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin in SMP's #11 BR1-AER.
He missed last weekend's Spa opener due to clashing Super GT commitments, but he turned his first laps in the Dallara-built prototype at Magny-Cours on Wednesday.
An SMP Racing representative told Autosport: "We are very happy after the first test day with Jenson in Magny-Cours.
"He was immediately comfortable in the car and enjoyed a full testing day, including day and night runs.
"Jenson had a series of long and short stints and extracted most of the car in each run.

"The car was with the low-downforce aero kit, same as at recent race in Spa as we are preparing for Le Mans."
Posting on his Instagram page, Button wrote: "I'm smiling from ear to ear!
"Had my first test in @smp_racing BR1 and absolutely loved it, nice for my first test to be around Magny Cours as it's one of my favourite circuits and I have a lot of great memories from racing there, it felt very much like old skool F1 from when we raced there back in '05/'06.
"A solid 5hrs of testing and I'm already feeling comfortable behind the wheel of the beast! Still some areas of improvement needed but a good starting point thanks to @vitalypetrov & @aleshin_official #11"
The Briton's next test in the BR1 will be the Le Mans test day on June 3, two weeks before the race.

New footage shows Isaakyan's dramatic LMP1 WEC crash at Spa
SMP prepared to modify WEC LMP1 car for Le Mans after airborne crash

How Formula E's double-duty drivers influenced their Le Mans teams' fortunes
Eight Formula E drivers made the 7,000-mile sprint from the streets of Jakarta to the fabled Circuit de la Sarthe and every one had a story to share at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite a range of triumphs and disappointments, each driver doubling up on the day job played a key role in their teams' fortunes
How an Italian junior formula giant is readying for its Le Mans future
Prema remains a colossus in single-seaters, but the serial Formula 2 and Formula 3 title-winning squad has joined forces with top GT squad Iron Lynx for an attack on sportscars in the World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series. Ahead of its debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours, its sights are firmly fixed on LMP2 glory – and a future in Hypercars next year...
The British rookies targeting a good first impression at Le Mans
Three young Britons will make their first starts in the Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend in the highly-competitive 23-car GTE Am field. But how did they get here? Autosport hears their stories.
The wingless wonder Peugeot hopes will restore it to Le Mans glory
Peugeot went radical with the initial plan for its Le Mans Hypercar project, and then stuck to its guns. Here’s how things are shaping up a few weeks before the debut of the 9X8 in next month's Monza World Endurance Championship round
How Toyota’s sole survivor turned the tables at Spa
After a chastening opening to the season at Sebring that ended in an enormous accident, Toyota's #7 crew got their World Endurance Championship underway with victory at a treacherously slippery Spa to make up for its sister car's Sebring defeat to Alpine, as Glickenhaus's promising qualifying turned to disaster in the race
The Chinese sportscar protege targeting a path to the top with Porsche
Yifei Ye came within one lap of winning the LMP2 class on his Le Mans 24 Hours debut last year, and his eye-catching 2021 has gained Porsche’s interest. With the German manufacturer preparing for a return to the top tier, the Chinese youngster is on the path to join it
How WEC got off to a stormy start in 2022 as rulemakers dampen Toyota's dominance
Toyota’s stranglehold on the World Endurance Championship ended at the 2022 opener at Sebring, but all accusing eyes were on the Balance of Performance system as the key to the shake-up. Here's how it unfolded, to see Alpine celebrating under a stormy sky having blown away the defending champions
Why Penske remains ambitious for its WEC learning year
Team Penske is gearing up for its role in running Porsche’s LMDh programme from 2023 by entering this year's World Endurance Championship with an LMP2 car. Although the team is considering 2022 as a season to learn, it is no less serious about winning than ever - which should make the already fiercely competitive class even more so