After an agonisingly long process of deliberation, Jenson Button has finally decided to continue with McLaren for 2015, pairing up with the returning Fernando Alonso
Fans and followers of the McLaren F1 team will be pleased to hear that it has been settled. Over weeks of uncertainty, Jensen Button will be staying with McLaren for 2015, with a possible extension into 2016.
This is not the most promising news for team-mate Kevin Magnussen, however, now demoted to test and reserve driver. The Danish driver commented briefly on his relegation, noting that he was “disappointed”, but also remains “very positive” for the future of McLaren. With each member of the team looking forward, prospects for McLaren have never been brighter, especially with this antithetical combination of two international champions.
“Fernando and Jenson have started a combined total of precisely 500 Grands Prix between them – a mighty aggregate – and have won 47 of them,” proclaimed team boss Ron Dennis. “I can safely say, therefore, that we now have by an order of magnitude the best driver line-up of any current Formula 1 team.”
After his split with Ferrari, Alonso’s return to McLaren after almost a decade is a surprising one. Seven years previous to today’s signing, Alonso and Dennis’s relationship took a heated turn amid the Spygate scandal of 2007. However, it appears bygones have become bygones with the inclusion of Dennis’ fervent Twitter hashtag #FriendsReunited attached to the announcement.
On and off the track, Button is quite the champion of British luxury, recently becoming a brand ambassador for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Button is also a frequent flyer at London Oxford Airport.
“It’s very special to be sat up here as a race driver with McLaren-Honda and alongside this guy,” Button said, sat alongside Alonso at the McLaren Technology Centre.
“It has been a long few weeks but sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for. It is my 16th year in F1 and more importantly my sixth year at McLaren. I’m not one to shy away from new challenges and this is a big one.”
Twenty drivers will be representing ten teams in the New Year contesting 21 Grands Prix. The competition will be starting in Australia on 15 March and ending in Abu Dhabi on 29 November.
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