McLaren F1: No announcement on drivers at Suzuka, Button relaxed
McLaren is said to have decided on their driver duo for the 2015 season, but the announcement would not take place at Suzuka, the heartland of engine supplier Honda. Jenson Button, however, is confident and thinks he will still be at Woking next year.
Éric Boullier, McLaren’s racing director, denied that the announcement of the next driver duo would take place at Suzuka: « Absolutely not, there are no plans yet to announce anything, » he told Sky Sports.
He also revealed that the choice of the line-up is a decision made jointly by him and the chairman of the McLaren Group, Ron Dennis. The latter apparently does not share the Frenchman’s opinion: « It’s Ron and me. But Ron has the final say because he is the owner and chairman of the company. To be honest, I think Ron and I have been transparent and we’ve been able to discuss together. We have our point of view, we may have different preferences in the timeline, but we agree on what we expect, what we want, where we want to go, and he’s working well. »
Currently, McLaren has Jenson Button, in his 5th season at Woking, and Kevin Magnussen, who is starting in the premier class. During the Italian Grand Prix, Éric Boullier stated for MotorsInside.com that the next duo should extend over the next 3 seasons.
Furthermore, the British newspaper The Guardian indicated that Jenson Button should be renewed for 2015. After the Singapore Grand Prix race this Sunday, during which he retired, the 2009 World Champion stated: « I am not worried about it in any way. I am very happy, I will be here next year, I think I am doing a good job at the moment. I’ve just been a bit unlucky this weekend, which bothers me, but I will get there ».
The Briton does not fail to praise McLaren’s future engine supplier: « I know that Honda will give everything to be competitive from the start. But Formula 1 is so competitive now and Mercedes has done an excellent job. It will always be difficult to compete with someone like that, who already has experience with the hybrid block. There will certainly be a learning phase. »
As Éric Boullier and Ron Dennis have discussed the drivers for next season, a final decision should be announced by the end of the season in Abu Dhabi on November 23.
