McLaren driver Jenson Button has announced he will take a sabbatical for 2017, but that there is a possibility he will be racing again in 2018 with McLaren.
The announcement at Monza puts end to months of speculation over the British driver’s future in Formula 1. Button signed a two-year deal as what will essentially be a McLaren development driver. He will not be racing in 2017, as Belgian driver Stoffel Vandoorne will be taking his seat alongside Fernando Alonso. But if Alonso decides he does not wish to race with the team in 2018, Button will take his seat at the team.
“I definitely need a break,” Button told a news conference in the McLaren motorhome this afternoon after Qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.”In 2018 the team have an option for me to drive.”
McLaren have described the new arrangement as a “innovative three-driver strategy” which keeps Button, Alonso and Vandoorne under contract for the team for at least another season.
“There is no reason why he [Button] shouldn’t come back and race in 2018,” said McLaren chairman Ron Dennis. “We will see where we are in a year. Jenson doesn’t have a desire to drive for other F1 teams. He had offers from other teams for next season but rejected them.”
Alonso’s contract with McLaren expires in 2017, but the Spaniard has refused to commit to the team until he has driven a significant part of the 2017 season. From there he will decide weather he will extend the contract or not. Therefore, McLaren’s option on Button for 2018 can be seen as an ‘insurance option’ if Alonso decides to walk away.
Jenson Button’s Career.
Jenson Button began his F1 racing career at the age of 20 when he joined Williams F1, initially telling Sir Frank he did not feel he was ready for a drive in a top team. However, his father John Button, told him to take the opportunity. And Button returned to Sir Frank to drive for his team that season. In his second race with the team he scored his first points. Becoming F1’s youngest points scorer. A record he would keep until Sebastian Vettel scored his first points. Button moved to Benetton for 2001, but with the team in transition to Renault he struggled against long-term driver Giancarlo Fisichella.
In 2002 the team became known as Renault, and with a change of team mate Button was shown to do much better. It was not enough though to retain a drive at the team for 2003. With team boss Flavio Briatore promoting Fernando Alonso in Button’s place for 2003. In 2003 Button moved to the BAR team where he would stay until 2006. During this time, he had several contract disputes, most notably with the Williams F1 team. As at first he tried to make a return to the team for the 2005 season, only to be rejected. He did sign a provisional contract to race for them in 2006. However, after finding out that the BAR team was being taken over by Honda, he opted to stay with the team. And Rejected Williams. The whole issue lead Sir Frank to be critical of the young Button. Going as far as to say he was a “Playboy driver.”
Button’s patience to stay with the now Honda was rewarded in 2006 at the Hungarian Grand Prix. After a difficult season where the team had failed to deliver on their strong off-season promise, Button put in a cool performance to win from 14th in slippery conditions, his first win. The team ended the year on a high, with Button scoring more points than any other driver in the final six rounds. However, 2007 and 2008 were seasons to forget for Button, with a largely uncompetitive car. A handful of points from both seasons was Button’s only achievement. Honda kept promising their 2009 car would be the one that would that would catapult the team up the grid. Sadly, for Button in December of 2008 Honda admitted it was pulling out of the sport and selling the team, leaving him without a drive for 2009.
At the last moment in the beginning of 2009, when it looked like Button might not have a drive for the season, Ross Brawn bought the Honda team. The team was rebranded under the name Brawn GP. Button stayed on board as one of the drivers and was once again rewarded for his loyalty. The new car, was a sensation from the moment it first turned a wheel in practice. Button won from pole position at the opening round of the 2009 season in Australia and added five more wins over the next six races. The second half of the season was a lot more difficult for him, but Button persevered. He won the championship at Brazil with a race to spare after a champions drive from him in Brazil.
After his success in 2009 Button moved to McLaren for 2010 alongside fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton. To the surprise of many, Button held the upper hand early on in 2010. A pair of opportunistic wins in wet races in Melbourne and Shanghai put him in the lead of the drivers’ championship. At times Button’s strategic gambles paid dividends, particularly in Monza where a gamble on strategy brought him within touching distance of another win. But in the end the other drivers were simply able to outpace Button, and he failed to win the championship. 2011 was a mixed season for Button, who finished the season runner up to the dominant Vettel with three wins. Most notably his remarkable win in Canada in mixed weather conditions. Despite an early collision with Hamilton, a puncture following contact with Alonso, and a penalty, Button bounced back to reel in Vettel as the race drew to a close. On the final lap, as the McLaren got within range of the Red Bull, Vettel slithered wide and Button stole the victory. The race is often regarded as his greatest ever win.
2012 was not a great season for Button, which saw three wins but also a dismal patch early in the season, where he struggled with the latest generation of the tyres and was well off the pace. That ended any realistic chances of a championship win early on, but he followed up his victory in Australia with wins at Spa and at the final round in Brazil. 2013 and 2014 were also less than perfect seasons, with just a single podium from the two seasons. There were several occasions when Button extracted the best the car had to offer, but that rarely amount to a finish in the top half of the points places.
In 2015 the team switched to a Honda power unit, though Button’s reunion with Honda was an experience rather reminiscent of his frustrating 2007 and 2008 seasons with the team. In the first race of the year, where just 11 cars reached the chequered flag, Button’s was the 11th. He was only in the points just four times that season. Despite this he signed a contract with the team for the 2016 season. In 2016 the car has been more competitive, leading Button to challenge for more points. However, the team have chosen to go with McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne for 2017 alongside Fernando Alonso. Leaving Button on a year’s sabbatical.
“To be clear, I’m very definitely not retiring,” Button said in the conference. “I’m contracted for both 2017 and 2018, I intend to work hard on car-development, and I’m sure I’ll get behind the wheel of the new car at some point.”
Feature Image Credit:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jenson_Button_Monaco_GP.jpg
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