What’s the story?
2009 World Champion Jenson Button could make a full-time return to Formula 1 after retiring from the sport at the end of 2016, according to ESPN. The Briton, who was initially to be returning for one more race - the Monaco Grand Prix - could well come back to the sport in entirety, they have said.
In Case You Didn’t Know...
Button spent the 2016 season partnering two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso at McLaren. Both title winners faced significant struggles with the cars, engine reliability and often did not start or finish races. The team was last year plagued by a number of DNFs and DNSs, and things appear not to have improved significantly this year.
A disgruntled Fernando Alonso also announced he would be sitting out the Monaco Grand Prix to drive in the Indianapolis 500, where former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya is also a regular fixture.
34-year-old Button is locked in for the Monaco GP, and has been on the McLaren payroll as a reserve driver for the 2016 season.
Heart of the Matter
Button, who won the drivers’ championship in 2009 with Brawn GP under Ross Brawn, has driven with McLaren through its various iterations since 2010, but at the end of the 2016 season announced that he would be stepping down from the role, but would remain as an ambassador with McLaren for another two years in addition to being their reserve driver. With Fernando Alonso choosing to drive in the Indy 500, which coincides with the Monaco Grand Prix, Button will take over his role there.
Now, he has revealed that he would not be averse to returning to the sport full-time, and that two other teams had approached him to drive for them during this season, but at the time told them he had had “no interest.”
He did not reveal which two teams, however. “I had so many options to race this year it is hilarious," Button told Press Association Sport. "That even went into this year with two different teams asking me to race. I had no interest in doing that."
Considering, however, that Fernando Alonso has made his displeasure with the team and the current circumstances of the engine felt, many – including the Spaniard himself – are unsure if he will remain with the team for another year. Alonso has already issued an ultimatum to McLaren, saying he will open himself up to transfer sales to another team for the coming season if they are unable to provide him with a ‘winnable engine’ by late summer.
"I can't rule it out," he said about a return in 2018. "I have a contract with the team to race next year so I would definitely not rule anything out."
Author’s Take
Jenson Button is one of the most well-liked drivers in Formula One, and most fans would be thrilled to see the good-natured, articulate and talented driver return. But McLaren have had persistent struggles with an unreliable Honda engine and a car that has also struggled. At the recent Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Alonso saw his car break down entirely with a rear axle failure, with oil gushing out of the car as it was towed off the track.
It is unsurprising that Alonso is growing weary of consistent seasons of no-starts and no-finishes, although we are not sure if this will be fair on Button, either. Both talented drivers, they might not be served best by the car McLaren are currently providing.
It is disappointing that a team with a legacy such as McLaren’s is now struggling – with Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen among its most illustrious names – as well as Lewis Hamilton.
While I’d love to see Button return to racing, the driver will need to ensure McLaren can give him a better car.
What’s Next?
An accomplished sportsman off the track, Button competes in triathlons regularly and keeps fit. He has likely been running simulator sessions on the regular to keep in touch with the sport itself, and will drive at the Monaco GP on the 28th of May, 2017 alongside Stoffel Vandoorne.
