With widespread speculation that McLaren will sign Fernando Alonso for next year, it appears the odds are not in Jenson Button's favour as the team will likely have to choose between him and rookie Kevin Magnussen. Button has recently revealed that if he cannot find a competitive F1 seat for next year he will walk away and pursue other opportunities.
Whilst Jenson Button has a great relationship with Honda from his days in their factory team from 2006-2008,and will provide plenty of experience in the development of the new turbo Honda V6 engine. On the other hand McLaren will likely want to retain Kevin Magnussen after an above average season where he has taken a podium and confidently shown he deserves a place in F1. Also the upside with Magnussen will be an advantage for him also.
BBC sport quoted Button's manager Richard Goddard as saying this earlier this week "McLaren aren't sure what they're doing and what their line-up will be. That's pretty obvious,Anyone who has a race seat available would like to have Jenson in it. Jenson is still focused on F1 but would only want to be in one of the top teams. So we're always open to talking to anyone.on is still focused on F1 but would only want to be in one of the top teams. So we're always open to talking to anyone. "
If Button does decide to leave F1 at the end of this year it appears his most likely landing spot will be the World Endurance Championship. There are rumours he's been speaking to ex-F1 driver and Porsche factory driver Mark Webber about the series and his manager had this to say on the series.
"The world endurance championship is a formidable series that is gaining strength and Mark going there has added a lot to it. It is a very credible race series to compete in. Jenson is an incredibly competitive racing driver who wants to race. He's too good to sit at the back of the F1 grid. So he either gets a competitive car in F1 or he goes to get one elsewhere."
The driver situation at McLaren is unlikely to be revealed anytime soon, however it does appear increasingly likely their line-up will be Fernando Alonso and Kevin Magnussen for next year. With McLaren being the last top team to reveal their drivers for next year, if this is the case it would likely spell the end of Jenson Button's long F1 career. From here it seems he would follow Webber and join the World Endurance Championship, something I would personally love to see if his F1 chances evaporate. What are your thoughts on Button's situation for next year?
