Jenson Button is waiting anxiously; it appears his F1 destiny is not in his own hands. The reason: Fernando Alonso. BEN ANDERSON finds out how Button is handling his tense situation
The irreversible breakdown of Fernando Alonso's tumultuous five-season romance with Ferrari (following summer overtures to Mercedes that so offended team principal Marco Mattiacci) has put Jenson Button's present team McLaren on red alert.
The Woking squad is prepared to let the sour end to its previous fling with Alonso in 2007 fade from memory. It has courted the Spaniard since the spring, armed with a new works Honda engine deal (for the first time since 1992) and some solid Japanese Yen with which to snare a 'star' name to satisfy its Asian partner. There's no doubt Alonso - with two world titles and 32 grands prix victories under his belt - fits that bill.
Until Alonso decides whether to rejoin McLaren or not, Button must sit and wait. The Briton is out of contract after this season, and McLaren has yet to confirm any drivers for 2015. That means it could retain Button alongside Alonso, or exercise its option to retain impressive rookie Kevin Magnussen. Or, if Alonso doesn't sign on the dotted line, retain its current line-up.
Alonso holds most of the cards and Button must wait to see which hand he is dealt. Two scenarios involve him remaining in Woking, which improves his personal odds, but McLaren may yet decide he is a busted flush - in which case this would likely be Button's final season in F1 given there are no better seats available elsewhere, and he is not interested in racing uncompetitive machinery for the sake of it.
McLaren would do well to note that Button's record against his team-mates in Formula 1 is impressive. He has outscored all bar his first two during their time together, which includes a driver Button himself labels "the fastest over a single lap" - 2008 world champion Hamilton - who partnered Button for three seasons at Woking from 2010-12. Not many credit Button as one of the sport's top-drawer drivers, but his achievements - particularly alongside Hamilton - should rightly fill him with some confidence should he end up paired with Alonso next season.
Button is sure he could handle life alongside Alonso © LAT |
"Nothing scares me about working with a world champion," says Button, who won't comment on "speculation" linking Alonso to McLaren.
"I've worked with two in the past - Jacques Villeneuve, when I was young, and with Lewis for three years.
"I'm not fearful of any team-mate, and I find it exciting learning new people and the way they work, because it's not always what it might seem from the outside.
"Certain individuals are very good at portraying themselves in a certain light, so it's always interesting to learn first-hand what that person is actually like. That's why I've really enjoyed working with lots of different team-mates over the years."
Button knows Alonso from their early days on the international karting scene, and does not appear fazed by the prospect of going up against him in the same car.
"I think he's a great driver, and I don't know if it's true or not but it seems he's intelligent, likes to get his own way, and he's obviously very talented," Button adds.
"He was a year behind me through karting, so I saw a lot of him when we were young - 15 to 17 years-old; it's always interesting seeing people a year behind you coming up through the categories.
"We ended up as team-mates at Renault [in 2002] - he was test driver and then he took my seat in 2003 when I went to BAR. He's very talented; [but] there are lots of drivers in F1 who are very talented.
Alonso and Button chat back in their Renault days © LAT |
"There are always three drivers people pick out as being better than the rest [we assume he means Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel - ed]; I totally disagree with that. I think they've found themselves in the right position at the right time on more occasions than others.
"I wouldn't say over a lap Alonso is the quickest driver out there - I think Lewis is - but I think as a package he's very good. I don't know how he works with the team; there are always rumours - from this team when he was here and from Ferrari - but he's a clever guy and he's very technically sound. He understands a racing car, so we're similar in ways - we understand how to get from A to B as quick as possible in a race."
THE ALONSO PHENOMENON
For all Button's bravado, he cannot fail to note Alonso's reputation: a relentless force of nature with an iron will, who many see as the most complete driver racing in the sport today.
Alonso's record against 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari this season is imperious: outqualified just twice and beaten only once in races in which they've both finished. That's no mean feat against a driver considered one of the most naturally talented in the history of F1.
For Williams racer Felipe Massa - team-mate to Alonso at Ferrari from 2010 to 2013 - going up against the Spaniard in the same squad is a prospect like no other.
"It's very difficult, because first of all he's an amazing driver. His talent is really complete," Massa explains.
"He's one of the quickest drivers, but also one of the most consistent drivers, one of the more aggressive - he has everything. It is not easy to be his team-mate, and for sure the problem Kimi is having [this year] is in his head.
"Fernando is able to use the car in the best way. He's very intelligent, so he's able to understand the race and everything that's happening. He's a bastard! So he knows how to not show [his hand] when he wants, which is part of the job. He's a top driver."
Massa knows first-hand how tough it is to beat Alonso © XPB |
According to Massa's former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley, now in charge of vehicle performance at Williams, Alonso is peerless among the current crop of drivers.
"I think Fernando is the very best driver of his generation, if not ever - he's that good," Smedley contends. "I'm a massive fan of his. He brings so much performance to the team. By pure proxy of his talent he tends to motivate people.
"When you're at the absolute top of your game and there aren't many people who can come near you, that's just motivation in itself [for the team]. If you're excellent at what you do, in whatever walk of life, or guise within Formula 1 - be it driver, engineer, technician, anything - if you work with people of very high talent it forces everyone around you to raise their game, and that's where the motivation from working with Fernando comes from.
"He's pretty coherent in his views. He knows what he wants. But most people who are very good at their job do. That's a strength as well - he doesn't waiver from what he wants. I think he's mentally very strong, [and] able to adapt to whatever the regulations are - he'll get on top of it and wring 100 per cent from the car, if not more. He tends to amalgamate people, just because of how good he is.
"I was working on the other side of the garage with Felipe [at Ferrari], so to have Fernando as your team-mate, as most people have found out - Kimi Raikkonen has certainly found out this year - is not easy," Smedley continues. "We're talking about very good drivers who sit on the other side of the garage. I don't think there's anyone in this paddock who could live with him."
High praise indeed - from people who should know. Clearly that's why McLaren is so eager to snare Alonso's signature. Should the Woking team opt to pair that signature with Button's, it will be up to the Brit to prove he has what it takes to challenge 'the best driver of his generation'.
Button was a key part of Honda's last F1 campaign © LAT |
THE HONDA CHALLENGE
For his part, Button appears up for the fight, and not yet ready to call time on his career after 15 seasons racing at the top level. He's been a McLaren man since winning his world championship in 2009, and the only other organisation with which he has a longer-standing F1 relationship is Honda (having raced for BAR-Honda and then the works squad from 2003 to '08).
There's no doubt in Button's mind that he wants to be part of the new McLaren-Honda project, and that at the ripe age of 34 he still has much to offer as a top-line F1 driver.
"It's a very exciting project. I think it's a massive challenge for any manufacturer coming into the sport, but if anyone can do it, it's Honda," says Button. "They're putting everything behind it to achieve results as early as possible. Of course, I would love to be a part of that, and there's a good chance I will be a part of that.
"My reactions are still very good - the best they've ever had at GSK [GlaxoSmithKline - McLaren's human-performance laboratory partner] out of all the athletes they've tested. Not bad for 34!
"In terms of experience, I've got so much from driving different cars and working with different people - engineers, aerodynamicists - and different machinery.
"Personally, I feel I have a lot to give, and I don't feel I've driven better before. I think Saturdays have been a little bit tough this season - some has been bad luck and some I just haven't got the best out of the car. But Sundays - the place where you pick up points - I always feel like I've done a very good job. And that is what counts, or what should count.
"I'm happy with what I'm doing - I think I'm doing a good job and I don't think that's going to go away in the next couple of years."
The McLaren years started very well © LAT |
The results this season so far support Button's argument. Rookie team-mate Magnussen has outqualified Button nine times to seven, but Button is 45 points better off in the drivers' championship on account of his consistently impressive Sunday drives.
Button is banking on McLaren backing his technical strength, tactical ability, and uncanny knack of picking up decent points in races when deciding whether he or rookie team-mate Magnussen should partner Alonso. Button also has that prior relationship with Honda, a wealth of technical experience that he reckons will be invaluable to the Japanese manufacturer as it feels its way through the most complicated engine regulations in Formula 1 history, and his five seasons with McLaren to fall back on.
"It's been an interesting few years, because obviously the first three years with the team we were very competitive - very close to winning the world championship every year - and you knew pretty much every year you'd win a race or two, or three," Button adds.
"It was always great - we had some really good fights, Lewis and myself, and then it came to the tougher years, last year and this year, and it's always a different atmosphere when things aren't going so well. Last year was tough for everyone involved in the team [McLaren's first campaign without a podium finish since 1980].
"This year it's very different because there is progress being made and change within the team in terms of aerodynamicists and engineers, and obviously the future with Honda. I do feel a big part of this team, and that's why I find it strange reading certain articles about me not being here next year. It would be very sad if I couldn't enjoy the future with this team and also help with the experience I have."
THE THREAT FROM MAGNUSSEN
But there is a real possibility that Button could be frozen out of McLaren next year, should the team decide Magnussen has shown enough potential to be a better long-term bet for Honda alongside Alonso. The Dane has certainly been fast, but there have been mistakes, which have cost McLaren vital ground in its fight with Force India for fifth in the constructors' championship.
Force India's Sergio Perez knows very well from his chastening 2013 season at McLaren that comparing well against Button in qualifying isn't enough in itself to guarantee a second season at the team. But Perez admits now that his attitude during a fallow campaign did not endear him to key staff in Woking.
Is Button heading out of F1 in 2015? © XPB |
After an early period of readjustment to cure what racing director Eric Boullier described as the "rookie syndrome" of joining F1 in uncompetitive machinery, Magnussen cannot be accused of having an attitude problem. He has grown steadily more impressive through the year, and McLaren may well decide to keep faith in a driver it has nurtured since 2010, when he graduated to German Formula 3 from Formula Renault.
THE OTHER OPTIONS
If that happens, Button could well find himself with nowhere to turn that would satisfy his competitive desire.
Looking beyond F1, Button has said before that he wouldn't like to race at Le Mans, so that would rule out the typical F1-to-sportscars path beloved of those drivers who don't wish to give up motorsport 'cold turkey'.
Perhaps a future racing in Japan, beloved homeland of his fiancee Jessica, beckons when his F1 career comes to an end, next season or beyond?
"Well, I have interests in Japan and I have interests in motorsports - I have friends who race in Super Formula and Super GT, but that's it, that's as far as my interest goes," Button states. "Technology-wise we are advanced of any formula [in F1]. This is still the best place to be, and you're still racing against the most competitive drivers. Even if there was another category that was a second quicker than us, Formula 1 is still the place to be.
"It's obviously a lot slower than previous years. Ten years ago in a race we were eight seconds a lap quicker or something, so it's very different to drive.
"Is it as enjoyable when you're on your own? Probably not. But in a race it is. In a race there is such good fighting. The racing has been fantastic this year. The wheel-to-wheel action I've loved, and it makes me want to race for many more.
"I'm sure I will want to compete in other motorsports, but at the moment I haven't thought about it because it's not on my mind right now. I love motorsport, but for me the pinnacle is Formula 1. It's where I've been for many years; it's very competitive right now in terms of teams and drivers, so that's where I want to be. I love racing against the best drivers in the world."
Button sounds bullish, and eloquently states his case to continue racing for McLaren in F1 next season. The trouble is, until a certain Spaniard has confirmed whether he is racing or sitting at home next year, a decision on Button's future is not entirely in his own hands.
But, if he keeps performing as well as he has done in recent races (his race to fifth in the sodden Japanese GP was one of the finest of the season), he will give McLaren plenty to think about as it ponders which drivers it wants to lead it into a new era with Honda power.
Nothing to do until then but continue to drive well, and wait...
Jenson Button is waiting anxiously; it appears his F1 destiny is not in his own hands. The reason: Fernando Alonso. BEN ANDERSON finds out how Button is handling his tense situation
The irreversible breakdown of Fernando Alonso's tumultuous five-season romance with Ferrari (following summer overtures to Mercedes that so offended team principal Marco Mattiacci) has put Jenson Button's present team McLaren on red alert.
The Woking squad is prepared to let the sour end to its previous fling with Alonso in 2007 fade from memory. It has courted the Spaniard since the spring, armed with a new works Honda engine deal (for the first time since 1992) and some solid Japanese Yen with which to snare a 'star' name to satisfy its Asian partner. There's no doubt Alonso - with two world titles and 32 grands prix victories under his belt - fits that bill.
Until Alonso decides whether to rejoin McLaren or not, Button must sit and wait. The Briton is out of contract after this season, and McLaren has yet to confirm any drivers for 2015. That means it could retain Button alongside Alonso, or exercise its option to retain impressive rookie Kevin Magnussen. Or, if Alonso doesn't sign on the dotted line, retain its current line-up.
Alonso holds most of the cards and Button must wait to see which hand he is dealt. Two scenarios involve him remaining in Woking, which improves his personal odds, but McLaren may yet decide he is a busted flush - in which case this would likely be Button's final season in F1 given there are no better seats available elsewhere, and he is not interested in racing uncompetitive machinery for the sake of it.
McLaren would do well to note that Button's record against his team-mates in Formula 1 is impressive. He has outscored all bar his first two during their time together, which includes a driver Button himself labels "the fastest over a single lap" - 2008 world champion Hamilton - who partnered Button for three seasons at Woking from 2010-12. Not many credit Button as one of the sport's top-drawer drivers, but his achievements - particularly alongside Hamilton - should rightly fill him with some confidence should he end up paired with Alonso next season.
Button is sure he could handle life alongside Alonso © LAT |
"Nothing scares me about working with a world champion," says Button, who won't comment on "speculation" linking Alonso to McLaren.
"I've worked with two in the past - Jacques Villeneuve, when I was young, and with Lewis for three years.
"I'm not fearful of any team-mate, and I find it exciting learning new people and the way they work, because it's not always what it might seem from the outside.
"Certain individuals are very good at portraying themselves in a certain light, so it's always interesting to learn first-hand what that person is actually like. That's why I've really enjoyed working with lots of different team-mates over the years."
Button knows Alonso from their early days on the international karting scene, and does not appear fazed by the prospect of going up against him in the same car.
"I think he's a great driver, and I don't know if it's true or not but it seems he's intelligent, likes to get his own way, and he's obviously very talented," Button adds.
"He was a year behind me through karting, so I saw a lot of him when we were young - 15 to 17 years-old; it's always interesting seeing people a year behind you coming up through the categories.
"We ended up as team-mates at Renault [in 2002] - he was test driver and then he took my seat in 2003 when I went to BAR. He's very talented; [but] there are lots of drivers in F1 who are very talented.
Alonso and Button chat back in their Renault days © LAT |
"There are always three drivers people pick out as being better than the rest [we assume he means Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel - ed]; I totally disagree with that. I think they've found themselves in the right position at the right time on more occasions than others.
"I wouldn't say over a lap Alonso is the quickest driver out there - I think Lewis is - but I think as a package he's very good. I don't know how he works with the team; there are always rumours - from this team when he was here and from Ferrari - but he's a clever guy and he's very technically sound. He understands a racing car, so we're similar in ways - we understand how to get from A to B as quick as possible in a race."
THE ALONSO PHENOMENON
For all Button's bravado, he cannot fail to note Alonso's reputation: a relentless force of nature with an iron will, who many see as the most complete driver racing in the sport today.
Alonso's record against 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari this season is imperious: outqualified just twice and beaten only once in races in which they've both finished. That's no mean feat against a driver considered one of the most naturally talented in the history of F1.
For Williams racer Felipe Massa - team-mate to Alonso at Ferrari from 2010 to 2013 - going up against the Spaniard in the same squad is a prospect like no other.
"It's very difficult, because first of all he's an amazing driver. His talent is really complete," Massa explains.
"He's one of the quickest drivers, but also one of the most consistent drivers, one of the more aggressive - he has everything. It is not easy to be his team-mate, and for sure the problem Kimi is having [this year] is in his head.
"Fernando is able to use the car in the best way. He's very intelligent, so he's able to understand the race and everything that's happening. He's a bastard! So he knows how to not show [his hand] when he wants, which is part of the job. He's a top driver."
Massa knows first-hand how tough it is to beat Alonso © XPB |
According to Massa's former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley, now in charge of vehicle performance at Williams, Alonso is peerless among the current crop of drivers.
"I think Fernando is the very best driver of his generation, if not ever - he's that good," Smedley contends. "I'm a massive fan of his. He brings so much performance to the team. By pure proxy of his talent he tends to motivate people.
"When you're at the absolute top of your game and there aren't many people who can come near you, that's just motivation in itself [for the team]. If you're excellent at what you do, in whatever walk of life, or guise within Formula 1 - be it driver, engineer, technician, anything - if you work with people of very high talent it forces everyone around you to raise their game, and that's where the motivation from working with Fernando comes from.
"He's pretty coherent in his views. He knows what he wants. But most people who are very good at their job do. That's a strength as well - he doesn't waiver from what he wants. I think he's mentally very strong, [and] able to adapt to whatever the regulations are - he'll get on top of it and wring 100 per cent from the car, if not more. He tends to amalgamate people, just because of how good he is.
"I was working on the other side of the garage with Felipe [at Ferrari], so to have Fernando as your team-mate, as most people have found out - Kimi Raikkonen has certainly found out this year - is not easy," Smedley continues. "We're talking about very good drivers who sit on the other side of the garage. I don't think there's anyone in this paddock who could live with him."
High praise indeed - from people who should know. Clearly that's why McLaren is so eager to snare Alonso's signature. Should the Woking team opt to pair that signature with Button's, it will be up to the Brit to prove he has what it takes to challenge 'the best driver of his generation'.
Button was a key part of Honda's last F1 campaign © LAT |
THE HONDA CHALLENGE
For his part, Button appears up for the fight, and not yet ready to call time on his career after 15 seasons racing at the top level. He's been a McLaren man since winning his world championship in 2009, and the only other organisation with which he has a longer-standing F1 relationship is Honda (having raced for BAR-Honda and then the works squad from 2003 to '08).
There's no doubt in Button's mind that he wants to be part of the new McLaren-Honda project, and that at the ripe age of 34 he still has much to offer as a top-line F1 driver.
"It's a very exciting project. I think it's a massive challenge for any manufacturer coming into the sport, but if anyone can do it, it's Honda," says Button. "They're putting everything behind it to achieve results as early as possible. Of course, I would love to be a part of that, and there's a good chance I will be a part of that.
"My reactions are still very good - the best they've ever had at GSK [GlaxoSmithKline - McLaren's human-performance laboratory partner] out of all the athletes they've tested. Not bad for 34!
"In terms of experience, I've got so much from driving different cars and working with different people - engineers, aerodynamicists - and different machinery.
"Personally, I feel I have a lot to give, and I don't feel I've driven better before. I think Saturdays have been a little bit tough this season - some has been bad luck and some I just haven't got the best out of the car. But Sundays - the place where you pick up points - I always feel like I've done a very good job. And that is what counts, or what should count.
"I'm happy with what I'm doing - I think I'm doing a good job and I don't think that's going to go away in the next couple of years."
The McLaren years started very well © LAT |
The results this season so far support Button's argument. Rookie team-mate Magnussen has outqualified Button nine times to seven, but Button is 45 points better off in the drivers' championship on account of his consistently impressive Sunday drives.
Button is banking on McLaren backing his technical strength, tactical ability, and uncanny knack of picking up decent points in races when deciding whether he or rookie team-mate Magnussen should partner Alonso. Button also has that prior relationship with Honda, a wealth of technical experience that he reckons will be invaluable to the Japanese manufacturer as it feels its way through the most complicated engine regulations in Formula 1 history, and his five seasons with McLaren to fall back on.
"It's been an interesting few years, because obviously the first three years with the team we were very competitive - very close to winning the world championship every year - and you knew pretty much every year you'd win a race or two, or three," Button adds.
"It was always great - we had some really good fights, Lewis and myself, and then it came to the tougher years, last year and this year, and it's always a different atmosphere when things aren't going so well. Last year was tough for everyone involved in the team [McLaren's first campaign without a podium finish since 1980].
"This year it's very different because there is progress being made and change within the team in terms of aerodynamicists and engineers, and obviously the future with Honda. I do feel a big part of this team, and that's why I find it strange reading certain articles about me not being here next year. It would be very sad if I couldn't enjoy the future with this team and also help with the experience I have."
THE THREAT FROM MAGNUSSEN
But there is a real possibility that Button could be frozen out of McLaren next year, should the team decide Magnussen has shown enough potential to be a better long-term bet for Honda alongside Alonso. The Dane has certainly been fast, but there have been mistakes, which have cost McLaren vital ground in its fight with Force India for fifth in the constructors' championship.
Force India's Sergio Perez knows very well from his chastening 2013 season at McLaren that comparing well against Button in qualifying isn't enough in itself to guarantee a second season at the team. But Perez admits now that his attitude during a fallow campaign did not endear him to key staff in Woking.
Is Button heading out of F1 in 2015? © XPB |
After an early period of readjustment to cure what racing director Eric Boullier described as the "rookie syndrome" of joining F1 in uncompetitive machinery, Magnussen cannot be accused of having an attitude problem. He has grown steadily more impressive through the year, and McLaren may well decide to keep faith in a driver it has nurtured since 2010, when he graduated to German Formula 3 from Formula Renault.
THE OTHER OPTIONS
If that happens, Button could well find himself with nowhere to turn that would satisfy his competitive desire.
Looking beyond F1, Button has said before that he wouldn't like to race at Le Mans, so that would rule out the typical F1-to-sportscars path beloved of those drivers who don't wish to give up motorsport 'cold turkey'.
Perhaps a future racing in Japan, beloved homeland of his fiancee Jessica, beckons when his F1 career comes to an end, next season or beyond?
"Well, I have interests in Japan and I have interests in motorsports - I have friends who race in Super Formula and Super GT, but that's it, that's as far as my interest goes," Button states. "Technology-wise we are advanced of any formula [in F1]. This is still the best place to be, and you're still racing against the most competitive drivers. Even if there was another category that was a second quicker than us, Formula 1 is still the place to be.
"It's obviously a lot slower than previous years. Ten years ago in a race we were eight seconds a lap quicker or something, so it's very different to drive.
"Is it as enjoyable when you're on your own? Probably not. But in a race it is. In a race there is such good fighting. The racing has been fantastic this year. The wheel-to-wheel action I've loved, and it makes me want to race for many more.
"I'm sure I will want to compete in other motorsports, but at the moment I haven't thought about it because it's not on my mind right now. I love motorsport, but for me the pinnacle is Formula 1. It's where I've been for many years; it's very competitive right now in terms of teams and drivers, so that's where I want to be. I love racing against the best drivers in the world."
Button sounds bullish, and eloquently states his case to continue racing for McLaren in F1 next season. The trouble is, until a certain Spaniard has confirmed whether he is racing or sitting at home next year, a decision on Button's future is not entirely in his own hands.
But, if he keeps performing as well as he has done in recent races (his race to fifth in the sodden Japanese GP was one of the finest of the season), he will give McLaren plenty to think about as it ponders which drivers it wants to lead it into a new era with Honda power.
Nothing to do until then but continue to drive well, and wait...