Boullier: McLaren F1 will take its time for the driver duo in 2015
McLaren doesn't panic. The English team states that the final choice of its drivers for next year will be based on driver availability. Eric Boullier has come to Jenson Button's aid and provided an update on the future transfer market.
The team based in Woking is open to all options for 2015 with the aim of attracting a big name with the return of Honda as an engine supplier, especially since the contracts of both current drivers, Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen, have not been renewed.
In this potential change of drivers, one of the main favorites could be Fernando Alonso, who would thus make his return to the McLaren team after racing with the team during the 2007 season. McLaren’s race director, Éric Boullier, stated that his team will wait until they know what all the top drivers in the paddock are going to do before engaging in any potential discussions.
« If a driver is available on the market, we will be interested in seeing if this driver suits us. Our strategy, and I’m not going to say we are going to change drivers, is that we are in a waiting position. So we will wait until I can understand what the driver market will yield, not only for next year but also in the coming years » explains Boullier, to Autosport, regarding McLaren’s strategy in the transfer market.
« The plan is to build McLaren to get them back to the top, and we need to know what we will be doing in three, four, or five years » adds the Frenchman.
The statements from the Frenchman suggest that if big names do not come in the off-season, it wouldn’t be a problem as this could happen later, in 2016 or 2017. This also means that the team might opt for short-term bargains with less high-profile drivers while waiting to sign big names like Alonso, Vettel, or Hamilton if they become available.
Jenson Button will almost certainly be retained for 2015, despite CEO Ron Dennis asking him to deliver much better performances than at present, with Éric Boullier coming to the rescue of the English driver: « He is doing a good job. We want our drivers to always give 100% of themselves. We want everyone to be performing, and when you don’t get the performance you want, it can be hard to accept at times and it frustrates you. But it’s the same for everyone and we need to be at 100%. »
