Button to defend Super GT title with Honda

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Reigning Super GT champions Jenson Button and Naoki Yamamoto will return to the fray in 2019 to defend their crown in the series with Honda's Team Kunimitsu.

The pair took the Super GT title at the last round last year and Honda Racing has decided to support once again the 2009 F1 world champion and his highly-rated Team Kunimitsu team mate in the eight-round series that will kick of at Okayama on April 13.

Button: Super GT team mate Yamamoto should be in F1

Button will enjoy a busy year, at least in terms of travels, as the Brit will act as a resident commentator for Sky Sports F1 on Grand Prix weekends and perhaps add a few WEC events to his agenda with SMP Racing in addition to Le Mans.

Regarding Yamamoto, a man whose talent Button described as worthy of a seat in F1, the 30-year-old will also defend the Super Formula title he secured last season with the Dociomo Team Dandelion Racing outfit.

Honda Racing's official activities will also include a works support package for 2017 Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato who will race in America's premier single-seater series with the Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing squad.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.