Jenson Button's future...?

[rubystone]

andy355 said:

JB to ferrari makes a lot of commercial sense given the demographic of buyers must be closer to his age than the kids on the grid. UK is also biggest eu market now (I would think both Spain and Finland are largely irrelevant) behind the US.

Personally I think he has more to offer performance wise and would like to see him in a half decent car again

I don't think Ferrari really care about the demographic element, otherwise they'd have a Chinese driver in the car. They care about winning. That enhances the brand. I like Button, but he isn't a driver that is going to win another championship and McLaren must be assessing the relevance of him for one more season before Vettel and Alonso become available.

[rubystone]

jsf said:

I could be wrong, but human nature should dictate that partnership will never be seen again.

Unless Ron has changed, he wants to win. Almost regardless of what it takes. He's under pressure at McLaren - he promised the investors he'd turn the team around and he has firmly lost Ojjeh's support (he's looking to exit anyway and I think Ron wants to buy his stake)

For those reasons and because of what a journo whose word I trust and who goes way back with Ron, told me last year, these parties have been talking for some time. Whether it leads to anything, who knows? That's why I was genuinely interested to see whether you had an inside source at Woking

[Dodgey_Rog]

As a development driver, i would think it would make perfect sense to keep JB at Mclaren with the incoming Honda powertrain? He still has ability, a great driver in the wet as well. It seems the Mclaren is slowly catching up on the pace of the others, they seem to dice with Ferrari most races, but they're just lacking in straight line speed. I read an article where they asked Jenson about Red Bull, and he said, the work they did 3 years ago, is standing them in good stead, everyone else is playing catch up.

I would be very disappointed to see JB retire, he's a great character, well respected and liked in the paddock and i believe, still has alot to give for another season or two.

I agree with the comment about Mclaren getting their house in order, they've lost so many races on poor pit stops and strategy calls. At the moment, Williams wouldn't be a bad team to be part of, they have great potential at the moment.

[thegreenhell]

Autosport reporting today that McLaren are chasing Alonso and Vettel to lead the team in 2015 or 2016, leaving both current drivers in limbo until either or both of those two make a decision to join or not join.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115604

[LordGrover]

gaz1234 said:

Button to Williams.
Massa and raikonen dropped.
Alonso mclaren
Hulk and Perez Ferrari

Didn't BJ start at Williams but was loaned out when they got a more experienced driver, JPM or someone?

[onyx39]

LordGrover said:

gaz1234 said:

Button to Williams.
Massa and raikonen dropped.
Alonso mclaren
Hulk and Perez Ferrari

Didn't BJ start at Williams but was loaned out when they got a more experienced driver, JPM or someone?

If you mean JB, yes he did, and IIRC there was all sort of legal wrangling for him to leave Williams.

[Muzzer79]

LordGrover said:

gaz1234 said:

Button to Williams.
Massa and raikonen dropped.
Alonso mclaren
Hulk and Perez Ferrari

Didn't BJ start at Williams but was loaned out when they got a more experienced driver, JPM or someone?

Jenson's first season in 2000 was with Williams, before he was loaned to Benetton (Renault) for two seasons to make way for Montoya.

In '03, he moved to BAR and '05 saw the contract shenanigans when Williams wanted him back.

[Europa1]

MGJohn said:

stevesingo said:

If they think Alonso can make up for a poor car, then they have another problem that is bigger than the current drivers; delusion.

In fact, Alonso might well really expose them. There would be nowhere to hide if, with Alonso as the No1 driver, McLaren are still languishing in the mid-field. Only thing is, Alonso is likely to be less than diplomatic about it than the current drivers.

The only benefits are Santander money (Yes Alonso the Pay Driver), and the other sponsor attraction of having Alonso.

One of the best postings here on PH ... nay, in the known Universe.

Well said that man.

Apart from that season when Alonso nearly (but for a wrong strategy call at the last race) won the championship in what was regarded as a dog of a Ferrari. And this season, when he is dragging the Ferrari into positions it has no right to be.

[stevesingo]

Who said the 2010 Ferrari was a dog? Alonso mainly IIRC (aside from pre season when he said it was the best car he has ever driven, soon changed his tune). It looked bad in Massa's hands, but then he was back in the car after a head injury, which did effect his performance.

And this years Ferrari designed with the input of data from generated from previous Ferraris. Data of which 50% was generated by Alonso. The car which, now input is being added from another driver, recently performed pretty well in the hands of Kimi, who had his first trouble free weekend this season.


Alonso and Briatore, are great at playing the media spin. Only this season has Alonso had a equal (so we are told) team mate since LH, and we know how that ended up. All the time at Renault, his team was managed by his personal manager. Of course he dominated.

He is good, maybe the best. But he is not even 5% better than the next best whoever that is.

[MGJohn]

thegreenhell said:

Autosport reporting today that McLaren are chasing Alonso and Vettel to lead the team in 2015 or 2016, leaving both current drivers in limbo until either or both of those two make a decision to join or not join.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115604

The actual headline reads :~

McLaren F1 team in final push to hire Vettel or Alonso

Then again :~

Team chiefs Eric Boullier and Ron Dennis are focusing their efforts on securing the two highly-rated top Formula 1 stars as soon as they can.

Securing two highly-rated drivers such as Button and Magnussen ...

Could simply be posturing by the management to expedite things.

[lbc]

Boullier/McLaren want 5 year contracts at next signing, so that would likely exclude Button due to age, as the current trend is for younger drivers to enter F1, and Honda would probably like more younger drivers to buy their cars, instead of the stereotyped OAP's that would buy a Honda Jazz.

[thegreenhell]

lbc said:

Boullier/McLaren want 5 year contracts at next signing, so that would likely exclude Button due to age, as the current trend is for younger drivers to enter F1, and Honda would probably like more younger drivers to buy their cars, instead of the stereotyped OAP's that would buy a Honda Jazz.

Alonso is only one year younger than Button, so I can't see that being a deciding factor. If FA signed for five years from 2016, then he'd be turning 40 by the end of his contract.

[anonymous-user]

Why would you, as a top team, want a 5 year contract with a driver?

Driver contracts aren't worth the paper they are printed on anyway, it's all a load of BS.

Boulier is sounding the same in that article as he did last year, when chasing money that never existed.

[thegreenhell]

MGJohn said:

The actual headline reads :~

McLaren F1 team in final push to hire Vettel or Alonso

Then again :~

Team chiefs Eric Boullier and Ron Dennis are focusing their efforts on securing the two highly-rated top Formula 1 stars as soon as they can.

Securing two highly-rated drivers such as Button and Magnussen ...

Could simply be posturing by the management to expedite things.

It does seem a bit unusual to be genuinely courting two high profile multiple champions at the same time if you only want one of them. Would the knowledge that the team were talking to the other one put each other off and result in both drivers declining? What if they both said yes when you really only wanted one?

[Daz68]

Mclaren need a reality check? Alonso or Vettel to go too a team that in the past 2 years has shown its self to be in complete turmoil. Look how long it has taken Williams to get back up there. I admire their confidence in the new car, they must know something we don't? Suppose they can't produce a pup 3 years running.

[slipstream 1985]

Daz68 said:

Mclaren need a reality check? Alonso or Vettel to go too a team that in the past 2 years has shown its self to be in complete turmoil. Look how long it has taken Williams to get back up there. I admire their confidence in the new car, they must know something we don't? Suppose they can't produce a pup 3 years running.

Ron Dennis said:

Here at Mclaren we are all about figures and statistics. And statistically we are due to stumble into a quick car next year!

[VolvoT5]

thegreenhell said:

Autosport reporting today that McLaren are chasing Alonso and Vettel to lead the team in 2015 or 2016, leaving both current drivers in limbo until either or both of those two make a decision to join or not join.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115604

I wouldn't be all that surprised if Vettel wanted to leave RB now Newey is going and his team mate is clearly super strong. However I always imagined him going to Ferrari.... but Merc teamed up with Rosberg isn't completely implausible either.

I really think Mclaren should focus on delivering a decent car before binning off their drivers as well. I mean I think it was wrong to sack Perez so soon and to get rid of Kmag after only 1 season would be harsh too.

[anonymous-user]

Fatrat said:

JB is a nice guy but let's be honest there are plenty of really good, hungry rookie drivers who would probably do as well as JB.......for a fraction of the cost.

Who exactly? Mag has proved himself to be about half as good at getting points compared to JB.

The car is no good and the strategy is even worse. As someone said, they need to sort that out first.

[FeelingLucky]

Really hard to argue with that.
When Jensen was given the car of the year, he won the WDC with it.
Admitedly against Rubens, but when did anybody win the WDC with an inferior car?

[DanielSan]

One thing I find strange reading this thread is how underrated JB is with a lot if people, he's a WDC which should be proof enough of his skill. But the fact he did more than match Hamilton, points wise beating him, over 3 seasons surely says how good he really is? Yet Lewis is given nigh on godly status by most while Jenson is put down. Odd.