Jenson Button says he’s ready for Monaco…and maybe 2018?
The 2009 world champion, who will be replacing Fernando Alonso at Monaco, spoke about his feelings ahead of the event and his future.
Jenson Button decided last season to take a break from his Formula 1 career, which began in 2000 and was highlighted by a world championship title with Brawn GP in 2009. However, to everyone’s surprise, the announcement of Fernando Alonso’s participation in the Indianapolis 500 propelled the Briton into the McLaren seat to replace him. With Button having a contract with the Woking team, McLaren naturally turned to him to fill the absence of the double world champion.
In an interview with the British newspaper The Independent, the Englishman shares his thoughts ahead of the most famous Formula 1 Grand Prix taking place in two weeks: « Doing this race is not a shock, and I’m not going to say to myself: “what should I do”. I am extremely excited about this idea because otherwise, I wouldn’t do it. I had the choice to say no because no one wants someone in their car who doesn’t want to be there. »
Button is ready to take on the challenge that awaits him on the streets of Monaco, and he believes he has nothing to lose by racing without real pressure on his shoulders: « It’s pretty crazy to return to a Formula 1 car, but there are no negative thoughts in my head. It would be nice to have a good result, but I don’t know what will happen. I have nothing to gain, but I also have nothing to lose. I’m here to help the team and have fun, and it will probably be one of the best Grand Prix for me because there’s no pressure. It’s a one-shot, so I’m very excited to take on this challenge. »
Regarding the performance he will be able to deliver, the McLaren driver makes no prediction: « I don’t know if I will be competitive or not when getting into such a different car. »
In the continuation of his interview, the retired athlete discusses how he envisions his future in the discipline or elsewhere: « I think Monaco will be my only race this year. Obviously, if I’m asked again at another time during the year, I’m ready to get in the cockpit. But I’m not going to change my mind and ask to drive because that’s not in my plans. I have a contract with the team to race next year, so I am not definite about anything. »
When asked if he will return to the discipline next year, the Briton simply replies: « I can’t rule it out. »
He even explains that he had real options to drive this year with several teams: « I had so many options to drive this year, it’s crazy. It even continued this year with two different teams asking me to race. I’m not really interested. » concludes the McLaren driver
