Button in limbo as McLaren stall driver line-up decision – again
BRITISH former Formula One world champion Jenson Button has been left in limbo after McLaren yesterday again delayed an anticipated announcement on his future with the team.
McLaren were expected to name their two drivers for next season, with Button and Kevin Magnussen vying to stay on alongside Fernando Alonso, who is set to return from Ferrari. But despite months of deliberation, a scheduled board meeting at their Woking headquarters failed to resolve the impasse.
It means Button, 34, may have competed in his last F1 race, as the Englishman, who won the drivers’ title in 2009, is tipped to switch to other motor racing competitions if ditched in favour of Magnussen, 22.
“It’s a weird time,” he said yesterday, before the aborted announcement. “It’s the end of the season, we haven’t got a race for many months, and I have had time to reflect on many things.
“New challenges are exciting, whether it’s in Formula One with McLaren alongside an exciting team-mate, or whether it’s elsewhere, so I’m good, but I just want to get it done. I want to hear the decision, as we all do, so we can all move on in whatever direction.”
If Button does leave F1 after 15 years he could follow Mark Webber and Anthony Davidson into the World Endurance Championship.