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Last weekend in an interview with BBC Sport, Jenson Button’s manager Richard Goddard has stated that he is prepared to move to the World Endurance Championship next year if he fails to get a seat at one of the top teams in F1.
Button who is the 2009 World Champion, is facing an uncertain future as McLaren are yet to decide their 2015 driver line-up with Fernando Alonso expected to re-join the McLaren team.
The veteran driver or his rookie team-mate Kevin Magnussen is set to make way, but in his interview with BBC Sport last weekend, Button’s manager Goddard says the 34-year-old is open to leaving Formula 1 moving to the WEC. Goddard stated the following:-
‘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.’
From what Goddard has stated in his interview last weekend, McLaren have generated the impression that their line up is not yet finalised, but I believe that they are in the final stages of finalising their driver line up and cannot announce it officially as of yet.
There is no question that Button would be sought after by many teams in the sport to drive for them, given the fact that he is a world champion, is fast and talented driver and also brings with him fourteen years experience within the sport that would help any team in the sport move forward and improve.
And for me, Button has much to offer a competitive team in the sport and it would seem to his manager that is open to a prospect of driving for a competitive team in Formula One if he is not retained by McLaren at the end of the season.
Further on in his interview with BBC Sport last weekend, Goddard has stated that the WEC series is a credible series of motorsport that is gaining in stature all the time, especially after former F1 driver Mark Webber entered the series this season. Goddard added the following:-
‘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.’
Goddard for me as summed it up pretty well. It is clear for all to see that the world endurance championship is a very credible series that is gaining with publicity and also growing in terms of audience figures and gaining new fans. It would have certainly helped the series with the arrival of Mark Webber joining the series to drive for Porsche after retiring from Formula One at the end of last season and if Button can’t gain an F1 seat and decides to join Webber, he could also help bring additional fans to watch the series too.
There is no denying that Button is a competitive racing driver who is still talented enough to be in Formula One. It would be stupid in my opinion for McLaren not to retain the services of Button for at least a year to help Honda settle into the partnership with McLaren and acquire a solid and workable foundation to build on starting next season.
Bu if that doesn’t happen, I could also see Button playing an advisory role at McLaren and allowing the team to use his valuable experience with Honda while also taking a racing role in the WEC if the correct opportunity comes his way which I believe would if he took this option.
But all we can do is wait for McLaren to announce their official driver line up for 2015. I really hope Button is retained with the team as he still as a lot to give and just needs the right car to show this. But even if he is not retained, as Goddard says, he will look for the best and competitive option for Button to continue racing; after all that is his passion and that is what he does best; racing.
