Button, the 2009 Formula 1 champion, will drive the #40 Acura ARX-06 GTP alongside Jordan Taylor, Louis Delétraz and Colton Herta. Meanwhile, Ericsson, the 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner, completes the roster for the team’s #10 entry that features Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, and Brendon Hartley.
“I’m very happy with the driver lineups that WTRAndretti will put forth in both the #10 and #40 Acura ARX-06 GTP cars for Daytona,” said Michael Andretti, chairman and CEO of Andretti Global.
“WTRAndretti has a strong history of running at the top level and we’re pushing hard to put together all the pieces to bring home race wins and have two cars contending for the Championship. The addition of Marcus and Jenson to an already proven roster of endurance drivers will make for an exciting and competitive 24 hours.”
The upcoming outing for Button comes after making his debut in the IMSA SportsCar Championship at Petit Le Mans last month, driving JDC-Miller MotorSports' Porsche 963 GTP entry.
Additionally, the Briton competed in the latest edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, his second appearance in the famed event, working closely with now co-driver and team-mate, Jordan Taylor.
"I am very happy to announce that I’ll be racing with Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the #40 Acura ARX-06 with one of my Le Mans team-mates and good pal Jordan Taylor, super speedy Louis Delétraz and Colton Herta whose career in IndyCar I’ve watched with great interest,” Button said.
“I had my first taste of IMSA last month at Petit Le Mans and loved it. I couldn’t be happier to race at Daytona with such a prestigious team that has achieved so much in endurance racing and especially at Daytona."
After joining Andretti Global’s IndyCar outfit over the offseason after spending the previous four years at Chip Ganassi Racing, Ericsson will participate in only his second Rolex 24. The Swedish driver finished sixth in the former DPi category in the 2022 edition of the endurance classic at Daytona.
“I’m very excited and proud to join the WTRAndretti team for the Daytona 24-hour,” Ericsson said.
“After getting a taste of the race in 2022, I have been eager to get back on the grid for this legendary race. It feels fantastic to be racing with one of the best and most successful teams in the sport!
“I’m already counting down the days and I’m looking forward to working with the team and my new teammates. It is extra special for me to be racing with Acura, HPD and HRC which I know very well from racing my entire IndyCar career with them. Bring on 2024!”
There will be three days of testing with the Roar Before the 24 January 19-21, followed by the 62nd Rolex 24 at Daytona January 25-28.
“Marcus is absolutely the perfect guy for our team because of the way he goes about racing,” said Wayne Taylor, team principal of WTR Andretti. “He’s finished in the top 10 something like 30 times in IndyCar, he’s won the Indy 500. He has really shown loads of interest by meeting with the team already and he is very dedicated and focused. I'm happy to have him, and of course, as he is part of Andretti Global program, so we are lucky to have him.
“Jenson and I have spoken for quite a few years. We've just never been able to make it happen, but this round we got it to happen. He drove for JDC at Petit Le Mans and the relationship that he's built with Jordan from the Garage 56 program closes the loop on our driver lineups as Jenson will take the last driver slot that’s open. The guy is really fast.
“I mean, he is a Formula 1 World Champion. He's very motivated, my team is very motivated, HPD and Acura are motivated with having him as well as all our sponsors. We look forward to working with him. He obviously is coming from a different background, but we've had Formula 1 drivers before, and they've all done really well. I have no question about his ability to do well for us and for himself. I’m really excited after three years to finally get Jenson to sign up with us.”
[DRIVER NEWS] We're excited to announce @JensonButton and @Ericsson_Marcus as the fourth drivers to join the WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06 GTP lineups for the #Rolex24 in January! #WTRAndretti // #AcuraMotorsports pic.twitter.com/iME7fuId8p
— Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (@WTRAndretti) November 14, 2023
David Salters, President and Technical Director of HPD, added: “Can you believe it? Once again, my compliments to WTRAndretti for putting together a truly impressive lineup for the pair of Acura ARX-06 entries competing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
"With the addition of Honda-powered Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson and Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button – another driver long affiliated with Honda – they’ve managed to add still more talent to an already impressive lineup. This is fantastic for all concerned at Acura, HPD, WTRAndretti and of course the fans!”
