Team boss says it's too early to discuss Jenson Button's future
Friday 24 June 2016 19:29, UK
McLaren won't necessarily make a decision on their 2017 driver line-up by September, according to team boss Ron Dennis.
While Fernando Alonso is signed up for another year, Jenson Button's contract expires at the end of the season and he could be replaced by impressive reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne.
McLaren had planned to open negotiations with Button in September but Dennis says this may not be the case, claiming they will "take everything into consideration" in due course.
"We are not even going to talk about drivers until after Monza," he told Sky Sports News. "We will have a board meeting towards the end of September, which is a logical time to make a decision, but we might not even take one then.
"What we won't do is hamper anyone's career. At the moment we have a young and aspiring driver, two tremendous world champions, and as and when we have to talk about it we will take everything into consideration.
"But right now we are barely halfway through the season. The most inappropriate thing we could possibly do is start talking about decisions like that which impact on next year. It's just too early."
Alonso told Sky Sports News in Baku that he would be happy with either Button or Vandoorne next season, though he admitted he worked "fantastically well" with his current team-mate.
However, the Brit has welcomed the interest of Williams after deputy team principal Claire Williams said the 36-year-old represents an "attractive proposition" for 2017.
"We would all like someone to say that about us, so that was very nice of her," Button told Sky Sports' Craig Slater. "I don't know what l am doing next year.
"I want to be enjoying myself again and be in a position whether l can fight for good results, whether it's a building year, a podium year or a winning year. That's what l need."
