Button's in demand! Wanted Jenson to be offered chance to finish career at McLaren

By Simon Cass

PUBLISHED: 16:30 EST, 14 October 2013 | UPDATED: 01:25 EST, 15 October 2013

Jenson Button will be offered the chance to see out his top-level motor racing career with McLaren as they strive to bring back the glory days via their renewed association with Honda.

McLaren have already taken up their one-year option on Button for next season, the final year of their engine deal with Mercedes.

But the Woking-based team are already planning for 2015 and are ready to offer Button the chance of up to three more seasons as they strive to build a partnership with Honda which can rekindle the kind of success they enjoyed when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were behind the wheel.

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Chance to stay: McLaren are set to offer British driver Button a new deal past 2014

Chance to stay: McLaren are set to offer British driver Button a new deal past 2014

If the Englishman opts to remain at McLaren he will be 37 by the time his proposed new deal ends, the terms of which are sure to at least match his current contract which is worth more than £10million annually.

In addition, boosted by the vast injection of cash their tie-up with Honda will bring, McLaren will continue their pursuit of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, hopeful they can persuade the Spaniard to return in time for the arrival of their new engine supplier.

Ironically, Button has made no secret of the fact that Ferrari is the one team that may tempt him away from McLaren.

But his ties with Honda are strong given he spent six years driving cars powered by their engines.  

Wanted: McLaren are hoping to sign Fernando Alonso in time for their renewed association with Honda

Wanted: McLaren are hoping to sign Fernando Alonso in time for their renewed association with Honda

Furthermore, Button won his 2009 world title in a chassis whose design was funded by Honda even though it was rebranded as a Brawn after the Japanese car giant decided to pull out of Formula One at the end of the previous campaign.

Button’s fortunes this season have been a far cry from his days with Brawn or even those of his earlier years with McLaren.

And with neither Button nor teammate Sergio Perez looking likely to score a podium this season, the first time that has happen at McLaren since in 1980, he admitted 2013 will be a season to forget.

Teamwork: Button has been with McLaren since the 2010 season and will stay for 2014

Teamwork: Button has been with McLaren since the 2010 season and will stay for 2014

‘It hurts like hell,’ conceded Button after coming home ninth in Japan. ‘If you haven’t ever won a grand prix or won a world championship it doesn’t hurt quite as much.

‘But when you have been there and that’s where you normally are, fighting for a world championship, even though it hasn’t happened for a while, it really does hurt.

‘When you drop back when you’re not in the game and you’re not near the front fighting it out for victories and even podiums it hurts.’

Poor year: McLaren drivers Sergio Perez and Button have failed to score a podium finish this season

Poor year: McLaren drivers Sergio Perez and Button have failed to score a podium finish this season

Button is adamant McLaren have learned lessons from such a disastrous season and while the major hopes are pinned on the return of Honda power in 2015, the 33-year-old still has high hopes he can once again be battling for wins next season when radical new engine regulations come into force.

He added: ‘We’ve been around the block and we’ve made the mistakes whereas Red Bull. But we know exactly where we don’t want to put the car so it does narrow the window and I think we understand what to do with next year’s car.

‘There is such a big change its exciting - new regulations, new ideas and things to work on and I think that’s really interesting to people in Formula One as it can get a bit stale for them This is such a big change I think everyone is really excited about the challenge, as they should be.’

 

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Jenslow moaner Button is average and if mclaren have the chance to sign Alonso he will be gone

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JB is top choice for McLaren for 2014 & 2015 (Honda!!). 2013 must be hurting Ron "second is first of the losers" Dennis.

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2013 must be hurting McLaren and Ron "second is first of the losers" Dennis in particular. JB is top choice for 2014& 2015 (who stuck with Honda when they were struggling?). He could have moved to Red Bull or Ferrari next year but team loyalty is a big thing for him.

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Isn't he always at the back?

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He should keep his options open till the end of 2014 season. Either Alonso or Kimi are going to walk out on ferrari at 2014 end (or even before). Would like to see Jenson in Ferrari.

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you mean take Ferrari all the way to the back of the grid like he's done at mclaren. I don't think Ferrari would consider JB in their wildest nightmares

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There seems to be some well informed contributors on here but also quite a few idiots too. JB is without doubt a top 10 driver. Stay with McLaren. Team up with Honda. Sort out a decent car/engine and he'll be in the top 3. And please finish higher than Hamilton!

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Let's be honest if McLaren have another poor season next year then they may be stuck with Jenslow anyway because they won't be attracting any top drivers. McLaren haven't won a drivers championship for 5 years and a constructors championship for 15 years, no podiums this season to date. Hardly a team on the up is it, more like a team on decline and fast. McLaren are in danger of being left behind, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes are currently the teams all the top drivers want a seat at, not McLaren.

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Spangqa go back to your drivel and spouting rubbish to planetF1 -we don't need your whining and biased views here you bitter and twisted man or did planetf1 throw you out? thought so. Jenson Button deserves to succeed and McLaren Honda tie up will bring back the good times again. Sad we get so many trolls on here

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Oh dear what are you on about? try using an intelligent argument to come back at me with if you disagree with me instead of resorting to throwing around false allegations and insults. Just because someone doesn't share your opinion does not make them a troll. Its funny how many green arrows a supposed "Troll" gets!!!!

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McLaren never had confidence in Button's abilities because they need to reshuffle the team for him, centralise Hamilton's data for him to use and when they felt Button learned something of Hamilton designed a car around his limiting abilities 2011 and 2013 which always saw them uncompetitive.

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Oh come on DM, my post was not that bad. All I said was the egos at McLaren have to stubbornly stick with Button to prove a point, otherwise they are going to look RATHER silly backing Button over Hamilton. I also stressed that McLaren never had full confidence in Button, HENCE, why they did the team reshuffle and 99.9% of the times always feeding him Hamilton's set up data. What McLaren need to do is get Lowe on the Mercedes pit wall, buy shares in Mercedes, turn it into their sister team and get Hamilton's data on Button's car again. The way McLaren have gone about business over the last 3-4 years, I would not put it pass them.

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