Dennis: Button will drive for McLaren next season

In light of the rather difficult season that the Woking team is experiencing, rumors have recently intensified regarding the renewal of Jenson Button, who, it should be noted, has been driving for McLaren since 2010. According to our colleagues at Sky Sports, it was even rumored that the 2015 edition of Silverstone would be his last home Grand Prix.

However, Ron Dennis, inflexible, states that driver number 22 will be part of the team next year: “Jenson Button has two years of contract,” he declared. “At the moment, we are not thinking about the drivers.” Thus, the person concerned will probably not be in suspense as he was at the end of 2014.

Clearly handicapped by the Honda engine that is both slow and unreliable, the two world champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button have only five points after nine Grand Prix races: « Those two are doing a great job. » assured Dennis.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to say the same for Honda: « We have a real challenge with our partners. » adds Dennis. « They are struggling to improve both reliability and performance. Honda has enormous resources and we rely on them. We are obviously in discussions on a regular basis, and it’s not pleasant for them. »

Moreover, the president of McLaren Group does not seem to lose hope for the future, but admits that he feels a certain sadness about the situation McLaren is experiencing this season: « Is it painful? Of course. But we must view this pain as a source of motivation. It’s a challenge, but it’s the right challenge because without Honda’s support, I don’t think it’s possible to win the championship. We have to overcome this pain to be where we want to be. »

Moreover, he shows admiration for the stoic attitude of the two drivers despite the increasingly disappointing series of Grand Prix. They too would be optimistic for the future. It would be very easy for them to criticize McLaren, but they don’t. Because they know very well that the car is extremely fast in the corners. It is not at the level of the Mercedes for now, but in many corners, it competes with most of the cars on the grid. And everyone in Formula 1 knows it. Anyone can look at the data and see where we are slow and where we are fast.

According to Ron Dennis, there is still everything to do at Honda: « I believe we will get there, step by step. We want to believe what our partners have told us. If the promises are kept, then we will be much more competitive in the upcoming races. »