Jenson Button has confirmed that he is not certain to stay with McLaren for 2016, saying there are “always options elsewhere.”
The 2009 Formula One World Champion was heavily involved in speculation last season as McLaren constantly delayed their decision for their 2015 drivers. Fernando Alonso was confirmed but it was between Button and rookie Kevin Magnussen for the second seat. The 35 year old eventually beat the young Dane to the seat, but fresh rumours are starting to circulate.
This season hasn’t quite gone to plan for Button and McLaren, as their reunion with Honda continues to show little improvement, with only five points between both drivers so far this season. Button has four from an eighth place finish in Monaco while Alonso finally secured his first point with tenth at last weekend’s British Grand Prix.
'A Two Year Contract'
McLaren chairman and CEO Ron Dennis was asked last weekend by Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle prior to the British Grand Prix about Button’s seat and the rumours surrounding it. Dennis said that Jenson has a “two year contract with McLaren", and also mentioned that the team are “not even thinking about drivers at the moment.”
The reason Button may feel uneasy is that McLaren have two very exciting youngsters waiting in the wings in Magnussen and current GP2 championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne, who is running away with the title after half of the season gone. Magnussen raced in F1 last season partnering Button at McLaren, showing some promise behind the wheel, but experience prevailed over youth as Button kept the seat for this season.
Not a Given
When asked about Dennis’ comments at his trust foundation’s Triathlon in Derby, Button replied by saying that his seat in F1 “isn’t a given.” He added that McLaren “aren’t thinking about next year. We are thinking about trying to improve the car this year.” The 35 year old’s comments are fair when you look at McLaren’s results this season.
Button has failed to finish four races this season, including the last three races, with reliability issues and crashes putting ends to his races. He also failed to even start in Bahrain earlier this season, with a problem on his MP4-30 meaning he couldn’t get onto the grid. Alonso meanwhile, has failed to finish in five races this season. He also didn’t start the season opening Australian Grand Prix after his bizarre crash in pre-season testing saw him ruled out by the medical team.