Yasuhira Arai, Jenson Button, Kevin Magnussen, Fernando Alonso, Ron Dennis, McLaren, 2014

McLaren confirm Alonso and Button as 2015 drivers

2015 F1 season

11th December 2014, 10:3011th December 2014, 14:01 | Written by Keith Collantine

Fernando Alonso’s return to McLaren for next year’s championship has been officially announced by the team.

Alonso split from McLaren after a single, acrimonious season in 2007. He is rejoining them in time for the return of engine supplier Honda in 2015.

McLaren also confirmed Jenson Button will remain at the team for a sixth season, despite recent speculation he would lose his seat.

The news means Kevin Magnussen has lost his place in the team’s race line-up after just one season. However McLaren said he will “remain an important part of the team, as test and reserve driver”.

Alonso said the discussion for him to return to McLaren began over a year ago. “Over the past year I have received several offers, some of them really tempting, given the current performance of some of the teams that showed interest,” he said.

“But, more than a year ago, McLaren-Honda contacted me and asked me to take part, in a very active way, in the return of their partnership – a partnership that dominated the Formula One scene for so long.”

Alonso added he is excited to be following the footsteps of Ayrton Senna, who won all three of his world championships in a McLaren-Honda.

“I have never hidden my deep admiration for Ayrton Senna, my favourite driver, my idol on track, my reference,” he said.

“I still remember, as a kid, the posters in my wardrobe, my toy cars in which I dreamed I would one day emulate Ayrton, and the kart that my father built for my older sister, and that I ended up falling in love with.

“That kart had the livery of one of the most legendary partnerships in the history of Formula One, McLaren-Honda, the car that Ayrton drove, the same partnership to which I am now honoured to join, to take part in the next Formula One world championship.”

McLaren will therefore join Ferrari in having world champions in both their cars next year. “As regards drivers, McLaren’s policy has always been to assemble the strongest line-up possible,” said Ron Dennis, “and in Fernando and Jenson I firmly believe that is exactly what we have.”

“I can safely say that we now have by an order of magnitude the best driver line-up of any current Formula One team,” Dennis added.

Button, who drove with Honda power between 2003 and 2008, also acknowledged the heritage of McLaren-Honda as his continuation with the team was confirmed.

“I admired Ayrton Senna enormously, but, for me, it was the exploits of his McLaren-Honda team mate Alain Prost that inspired me most as a boy,” said Button.

“The way he stroked those beautifully brutal red-and-white cars to grand prix wins and world championships was to my mind poetry in motion, and I have tried to emulate his driving style ever since.”

All of the nine teams which are expected to compete in F1 next year have now announced their driver line-ups. It remains to be seen whether Caterham and Marussia, both of which have gone into administration, will appear in next year’s championship.

View the complete list of 2015 F1 drivers and teams

2015 F1 season

Browse all 2015 F1 season articles

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Keith Collantine

Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
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156 comments on “McLaren confirm Alonso and Button as 2015 drivers”

Bunny Eclair'stone (@eclairstone)
11th December 2014, 10:32

Good call. And there dies the hopes of people expecting a Ron’sRevenge :-P
1. Bunny Eclair'stone (@eclairstone)
  11th December 2014, 10:33
  
  Kevin to be test, reserve and third driver at McHonda in 2015
  1. JCost (@jcost)
    11th December 2014, 12:20
    
    @eclairstone If Button does well in 2015, McLaren will probably retain Button for 2016 (he will 36) so Kevin faces the possibility to race only in 2017, unless he goes to a different team.
    
    Plus, in 2017 Vandoorne will be there to compete for the seat…
    
    McLaren 2017 can be:
    
    Alonso | Bottas
    Alonso | Magnuseen
    Alonso | Vandoorne
    1. Jarnooo (@jarnooo)
      11th December 2014, 13:48
      
      If Alonso wins a 3rd championship, I have a feeling he could retire soon after. Magnussen | Vandoorne isn’t off the cards.
    2. Peppermint-Lemon (@)
      11th December 2014, 14:42
      
      Its a 2-year deal for Button
      1. George (@george)
        11th December 2014, 18:02
        
        @peppermint-lemon
        Contracts in F1 mean very little, especially if Button fares similarly to Massa or Raikkonen against Alonso.
      2. MagillaGorilla (@magillagorilla)
        12th December 2014, 5:08
        
        @george after this season I don’t see why Button would do as bad as Kimi especially in a car that was as bad as the F14t and only podium worthy as many times as the F14t.
    3. MarkM
      11th December 2014, 15:20
      
      They just announced for whats happening next year and you’re already speculating and concerned about 2016, 2017? seriously? who cares.
      1. Marc Thielke (@motor)
        11th December 2014, 19:45
        
        I care. And I found those ideas interesting.
2. Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
  11th December 2014, 10:43
  
  There’s still time. Kevin’s in pole position for when it does happen… didn’t work out badly for Hakkinen or Alonso when they were test driver for a bit.
  1. Breno (@austus)
    11th December 2014, 11:07
    
    But Vandoorne wasnt knocking on the door.
  2. safeeuropeanhome (@debaser91)
    11th December 2014, 11:35
    
    Neither Hakkinen or Alonso had race seats at Mclaren/Renault the season before becoming test driver though. Hakkinen was at Lotus, and Alonso at Minardi. Going from these teams to a test driver role at a top team, in the days where test drivers actually got to drive the cars was clearly a step up. Can’t say the same for Magnussen given he has been demoted from the Mclaren race team itself. And if Vandoorne wins GP2 next season, he is surely next in line if Button (most likely) or Alonso leaves. I feel really sorry for Magnussen, his career in F1 could be over at the age of 22. But then I remember something Mark Webber said a few years ago “F1 is not a finishing school when it comes to racing” i.e. its either sink or swim. Harsh but true.
3. pSynrg (@psynrg)
  11th December 2014, 11:04
  
  Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer still!
4. Metallion (@metallion)
  11th December 2014, 11:09
  
  Yes, very happy with these news. I’m a big fan of Button and it’d have been a shame to see him out of the sport, especially in the way it was happening. I hope McLaren will have a much better car next year so we can see the best from Button and Alonso.
  Although I’m hoping for an even bigger improvement from Ferrari and Kimi so I can see my favourite driver at least fighting for podiums again:)
  1. The Abbinator (@abbinator)
    11th December 2014, 12:04
    
    Finally – Alo v But — it’s the match-up that should have happened at Renault (really, Trulli?)
    Jenson’s not going into the lion’s den, this time the lion comes to him… But should, in theory, being established at McLaren have the upper hand, esp in the first year, however the “Teflonso” factor (i.e. wanting assured #1 status) will be interesting. I hope it’s a relatively clean competition without the gamesmanship exhibited by Freddo (Fernando is faster than you) in past team-mate competitions. So what will it tell us if Alonso destroys Button like he did Raikkonen? Given a fair contest, I’d say that would cement him as the best driver of this era, hands down. If But shows 80% or greater of Alo’s point haul, then Jenson’s stock would have to be on the up and would reinforce my belief that there’s really a extremely narrow margin between the top 10 drivers in terms of talent. Alonso big scalps so far – Trulli, Massa, Kimi – (not all fair or 100% clear cut). Ham v Alo 2007 was a push IMO (87 HAM v 85 ALO) but Ham was only a rookie… Politics probably played some part, Alo’s desire might have gone off toward the end as well (after the relationship with the team broke down and he started looking at Renault again). Hopefully this will be one of the great intra team battles that ALO v RAI turned out not to be. :)
    1. Patrick (@paeschli)
      11th December 2014, 12:23
      
      Teflonso
      
      Haha, last time I heard that was a loooooong time ago :D
    2. OOliver
      11th December 2014, 23:12
      
      Why 80%? Why not something higher
      1. The Abbinator (@abbinator)
        12th December 2014, 9:18
        
        Dunno, Alonso is supposed to be able to walk on water, so 80% seemed reasonable. I expect it will be close if there are no shenanigans…
5. petebaldwin (@)
  11th December 2014, 16:44
  
  Just heard the news for the first time but I am absolutely delighted to hear that Button is remaining in F1. I feel sorry for K Mag (as I did with Perez before) but to be honest, keeping Button was the obvious call.
  
  Button and Alonso is an unbelievably strong driver lineup. Considering their pace, their different approaches to races, their experience and their knowledge, I think they are unmatched as a duo.
6. Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
  11th December 2014, 18:34
  
  Of course the real news is that Lewis Hamilton has re-signed for Mercedes, which of course triggered this event. It’s a cool line-up. It’s obvious that after 14 years Button is at his best especially since the pirelli arrived but one would say that looking at Jenson’s career, he doesn’t deserve the faith people put in him but as is with Steven Gerrard, Jenson’s fortune in this sport lies with the personification of the common man.
Alfie (@alfie)
11th December 2014, 10:32

I’d have sooner dropped Button.
1. Dan Brown (@danbrown180)
  11th December 2014, 12:05
  
  I’ve been a fan of Button since he entered F1, but I feel a bit flat about this. I feel very sorry for KMag first of all, and secondly, we’re just going to be in this situation again next year.
  And then there’s the very real possibility the McLaren car is awful next year. If I was JB I’d be on the phone to Claire Williams ASAP ready for next year.
  1. Manox (@marussi)
    11th December 2014, 13:15
    
    i feel empty. Rather See K-Mag drive
2. The Abbinator (@abbinator)
  11th December 2014, 12:10
  
  It’s the best way to maximise points and thus payout. To do otherwise is a sure fire way to lose money. Driver’s salaries are very small compared to the loss in revenue coming a few places down the order… (Jenson justified any salary this year by ensuring McLaren came ahead of FI in the final race).
  1. Kroon (@kroonracing)
    11th December 2014, 21:26
    
    Wrong.
    1. The difference in WCC money is very small.
    2. Button’s result in Abu Dhabi did not make any difference in the WCC standings
    1. The Abbinator (@abbinator)
      12th December 2014, 9:20
      
      With a DNF (or no points) FI would have pulled ahead…
      1. The Abbinator (@abbinator)
        12th December 2014, 9:29
        
        If button finished like Magnussen (out of the points) the total would have been 161 McLaren, 163 Force India.
        
        The difference between 5th and 6th in the 2014 WCC prize money is: $3 million, or approx £2 million with conversion… Button was reportedly paid £12 mill for 2014 and £6 mill for 2015 — Magnussen was on £500,000 so true it was not a purely financial decision… however the difference between 5th and a potential 4th or 3rd for 2014 :
        1. Fota WCC $ 90 M
        2. Fota WCC $ 72 M
        3. Fota WCC $ 80 M
        4. Fota WCC $ 65 M
        5. Fota WCC $ 62 M
        6. Fota WCC $ 59 M
        7. Fota WCC $ 53 M
        8. Fota WCC $ 50 M
        9. Fota WCC $ 47 M
        10. Fota WCC $ 40 M
      2. The Abbinator (@abbinator)
        12th December 2014, 9:36
        
        BTW: Button + Alonso points (or just two Button’s on the team) would have gotten 4th easily. Magnussen doubled would have only been a strong 6th. (so taking Magnussen vs a Hulkenberg or retaining Perez probably meant a net loss of £2 million for not getting 4th of Ferrari). Williams (3rd) was unattainable for McLaren this year.
Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
11th December 2014, 10:34

Good decision. Really hope this isn’t the end of K-Mag as I think he shows serious promise, but they have to go with the two best drivers available.
1. 2face
  11th December 2014, 11:12
  
  This IS the end of Kevin’s F1 career. He is off to Japan now. And next year he’ll be forgotten.
  
  The next crop of talented young drivers will all come through Torro Rosso. It takes a few years to get used to the degrading tyres and fuel saving. TR is the only team that can afford to give young drivers enough time to learn it. The other teams will get their young drivers from TR or Red Bull when they have had a few years on grid.
  1. Dan Brown (@danbrown180)
    11th December 2014, 12:07
    
    I don’t see any evidence of a single Torro Rosso driver going to any other team than Red Bull. Torro Rosso kills drivers careers.
    1. @HoHum (@hohum)
      11th December 2014, 21:25
      
      @danbrown180, Is it that easy to forget Seb Vettel and Ferarri ?
  2. The Abbinator (@abbinator)
    11th December 2014, 12:08
    
    You post is a bit self-contradictory — KM did a good job in his first outing, so a few years to get to grips is not necessarily true… KMag could be picked up by another team if there is no joy next year. The truth is there are a lot of capable drivers (even Max Chilton didn’t do too badly by historical standards) but only the top of the top get a crack at it. Nowadays, few get to dictate the terms of their exit, as well… (Schumi, Reubens).
  3. RL
    11th December 2014, 13:26
    
    How many drivers have actually stayed on the grid after their Toro Rosso stint? 2?
    1. photozen (@photozen)
      11th December 2014, 14:36
      
      4 actually:
      
      Liuzzi
      Vettel
      Ricciardo
      Kvyat
  4. dutch in sweden (@dutch-in-sweden)
    11th December 2014, 14:49
    
    McLaren or Honda should do a Red Bull / Toro Rosso and buy Caterham and put Magnusson and Vandoorne in it.
Bunny Eclair'stone (@eclairstone)
11th December 2014, 10:36

So that means McHonda and the fans can give a proper to send off to Jenson next year and Mag could take over in 2016.
1. BasCB (@bascb)
  11th December 2014, 10:43
  
  or maybe Stoffel will take over?
2. 2face
  11th December 2014, 11:15
  
  Kevin is not coming back. And I doubt that McLaren will go through the pain of having a new rookie learn how to handle tyre degradation and fuel saving. Much easier to get proven drivers from other teams.
3. Mark in Florida
  11th December 2014, 14:16
  
  Kevin’s F1 career is probably over apparently done in by Alonso’s desire to run things his way. Feel bad for Mags to me he was the future not Button. All of this talk of Ayrton Senna and the great McHonda days,talk about whipping up the faithful it’s a little overdone. McLaren hasn’t had a decent chassis in a while and it took Honda until Brawn took it over to win. So if anyone thinks this car and driver lineup is going to be a winner out of the box you have a lot of optimism. My concern for McLaren is the amount of control Alonso seems to be exercising over the team. A body can only have one head. If Dennis can’t run the show without Honda running interference for Alonso this will only end in misery for all concerned. Alonso is a great driver but great drama goes hand in hand with him. Too bad for Kevin I guess that he can drive in the sports car’s like his dad did.
McL88AsAp (@deongunner)
11th December 2014, 10:37

Really, really hope MP4-30 is a car that can fight for podiums and race wins, although I doubt it, Nothing is Impossible. Quite harsh on Magnussen, but that is sport, if you’re disappointing, you’re out
Nin13 (@nin13)
11th December 2014, 10:37

End of Magnussen’s career.
1. Jake (@jleigh)
  11th December 2014, 10:39
  
  I hope they put him in GP2 with Vandoorne, with whoever comes out on top taking Buttons seat next year.
  1. 2face
    11th December 2014, 11:16
    
    Kevin is going to Japan.
  2. safeeuropeanhome (@debaser91)
    11th December 2014, 11:40
    
    I don’t think they can, drivers who have completed a full season of F1 aren’t eligible to race in GP2. This is extremely bad news for Magnussen’s F1 career, he needs to hope Vandoorne doesn’t perform as well next year.
  3. Pete (@repete86)
    11th December 2014, 13:03
    
    Can’t. Drivers who have completed a full season of F1 can’t go back to GP2.
2. Breno (@austus)
  11th December 2014, 11:10
  
  Mclaren are taking the wrong lessons from Red Bull.
3. Manox (@marussi)
  11th December 2014, 13:18
  
  The end of his carrer. when are People going to see that button and more drivers should drop for future talents. everyone was angry about paydrivers and not enough new blood. when a driver comes in on merit they just dont care. hope Mclaren fails hard next season
4. Big Mag (@)
  11th December 2014, 17:51
  
  It is sad, but unfortunately it is looking very dark for Kevin in regards to F1. The economical backing for Danish drivers is very poor because of low status of F1 in Denmark. To get at seat only on merit is very difficult and he may lose out to VanDorne, which I think have better backing. If I was Kevin I would not count on McLaren (I think nobody would any more after what happened in the last few month).
nomeg1 (@nomeg1)
11th December 2014, 10:38

Great, great news about Jenson, it made my day ! Go for it Champ !
1. Boomerang
  11th December 2014, 13:51
  
  I’m glad for Jenson. To much unknowns about Honda PU though.
The Blade Runner (@)
11th December 2014, 10:39

The right decision for reasons both on and off the track
sumedh
11th December 2014, 10:41

A decision I agree with. I am honestly not so impressed by K-mag. He is certainly not the next Ricciardo or Hamilton. And Honda need experienced drivers especially now that the Abu Dhabi test went quite bad.
1. The Abbinator (@abbinator)
  11th December 2014, 12:14
  
  A bit harsh to call him disappointing — sure, he didn’t outperform Perez compared to Button, but Perez had several more years in F1. Hammy had much more track time before his rookie season began and Ricciardo wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire in a HRT or Torro Rosso — it wasn’t really until his first RBR test that he showed some real promise — and still the jury was out for the first few races in 2014.
2. Lars (@lars)
  11th December 2014, 12:26
  
  Ricciardo spent 2,5 season before he delivered any results so you have facts to the claim that Kevin is Ricciardo.
  1. Lars (@lars)
    11th December 2014, 12:27
    
    Forgot two times no in above posting.
3. Manox (@marussi)
  11th December 2014, 13:21
  
  open your eyes.. Per and Ric has more seasons, Ham more Mileage, Button 15 years…
Oli (@dh1996)
11th December 2014, 10:42

Best F1 related news for years.
ColdFly F1 (@)
11th December 2014, 10:43

Good news to hear that Alonso will remain in F1 next year.
That makes it 2x Renault, 2x McLaren. Wonder what will be next!?
1. Ivan (@wpinrui)
  11th December 2014, 10:45
  
  Alonso will bring back Minardi somehow so that he can drive for them a second time.
  1. Breno (@austus)
    11th December 2014, 11:12
    
    Alonso to join Red Bull through the young driver program?
Neel Jani (@neelv27)
11th December 2014, 10:43

Here is a nice photo to enjoy

http://media.crash.net/original/AU1268728.jpg
1. Stretch (@stretch)
  11th December 2014, 11:12
  
  @neelv27 Alonso is much shorter than I thought.
  1. Mashiat (@mashiat)
    11th December 2014, 11:52
    
    @stretch Yeah well, he 171 cm. And according to your name, let’s hope you’re taller! lol!
  2. Neel Jani (@neelv27)
    11th December 2014, 14:25
    
    @stretch hehe! Even I was surprised looking at Fernando’s relative height :p
  3. BJ (@beejis60)
    11th December 2014, 20:14
    
    @stretch @mashiat @neelv27 Ya, he definitely looks like a midget in this pic… ridiculous to think that MAS is even shorter.
2. OmarR-Pepper (@)
  11th December 2014, 14:17
  
  @stretch @neelv27 They buy their suit at (insert brand here) ;P
Greg Kingston (@gregkingston)
11th December 2014, 10:43

The right decision to retain Jenson, and few teams could ignore the availability of Alondo if they also had the means to afford him. What McLaren will need to do early in 2015 is genuinely demonstrate that they are thinking longer term on their journey to reclaim the constructor’s championship, as a repeat of the end of this season would be a failure to do so. Therefore if they do want to introduce another young talent that they believe in, have a proper succession plan in place with both current drivers and ensure that everyone knows were they are.

A mischievous part of me would like to see Jenson trounce Fernando next year and see where that leaves them! But anyway, for now things are set for 2015 and, given by all the changes and speculation from 2014, McLaren could quite conceivably have two completely different drivers in place for 2016. Let’s look forward to a thrilling contest between two F1’s elder statesmen – an opportunity for Jenson to prove a few doubters wrong and the same opportunity for Alonso to cement a view that he’s right up there with the best. Let’s just hope that the duelling takes place near or at the front of the pack and not in the midfield.
RetardedF1sh (@retardedf1sh)
11th December 2014, 10:50

Spending one year as a test driver is not necessarily a bad thing for Magnussen. It worked for Alonso, Massa and Hulkenberg.
1. CountryGent (@countrygent)
  11th December 2014, 11:24
  
  @retardedf1sh I highly doubt he’ll be in the running for Button’s seat in 2015 once Vandoorne’s waltzed to the 2015 GP2 title. We have in essence lost Magnussen after one year, and although the Button vs Alonso fight will be fantastic in 2015, that leaves a rather sour taste after what was quite an respectable rookie campaign.
2. Biggsy
  11th December 2014, 12:19
  
  When Alonso and Massa were test drivers, they were probably covering more miles than race drivers, and were testing all year long. Today, you’ll be happy if you cover one race distance every two months as a test driver.
  1. Giuseppe
    11th December 2014, 14:48
    
    Alonso actually runned more kilometer than a full season while testing in 2003.
Ginja42 (@ginja42)
11th December 2014, 10:50

Great news, I posted this on the ‘who should McLaren keep’ article, Ron clearly agreed with me ;)

“I think that Alonso and Button in the race seats and Magnussen as test driver. One year as test driver on a team with those two will give Kevin a real chance to prove his worth and probably drive him to be a contender in 2016.
I get that Jenson is the pricier option and lack of sponsorship for McLaren may mean it ends up being Alonso and Magnussen, but in terms of marketing, previous Honda relationship and overall F1 experience that will help progress the car then I still think Jenson and Fernando is a no-brainer.”

I think they have made the right decision for the team, especially in a year that they will need experience above all else.
Scribe (@scribe)
11th December 2014, 10:50

Gordon Bennet!! I know this has been basically a certainty since time itselfed dawned but UNBELIVABLE!
Quite incredible.
andae23 (@andae23)
11th December 2014, 10:50

Unpopular opinion, but a Button-Alonso line-up doesn’t make any sense to me. McLaren came fifth in the championship, and they have given up the best engine in the field for an engine that will most likely be worse than the Mercedes engine, i.e. it is not very likely they will have a championship challenging car next year.

Alonso must have costed McLaren an enormous heap of money, and Button probably wasn’t cheap either. Why not spend the money they paid for Button on improving the car such that it will challenge for championships in 2016 or 2017? Seems like having the best driver line-up shouldn’t be a priority for McLaren at this point.

But also from a sports perspective, I think it’s a shame McLaren chose Button over Magnussen. Button is probably nearing the end of his F1 career, probably considering a switch to WEC, so why not continue with Magnussen and let him gain some more experience? The route he’s taking right now is making him into another Oliver Turvey, which would be a real shame.

Maybe from a marketing point of view, this line-up makes the most sense. A strong line-up will probably grab some headlines, and of course Button is both popular and commercial. Had McLaren announced Alonso-Magnussen, that would have been a publicity nightmare (just look at the way Button played with the crowd at the Autosport Awards last week..).
1. Girts (@girts)
  11th December 2014, 11:25
  
  @andae23 BBC actually reports that “Button will be on a one-year deal at a salary reduced by at least half from the reputed £12m he was earning in 2014.”
  
  There could be many reasons for McLaren’s decision. They obviously know more about Magnussen than we do and they might have doubts about his ultimate potential. In any case, it is very likely that Button will score more points for the team in 2015 than Magnussen would have.
  
  I personally am really looking forward to the battle between Alonso and Button. And Magnussen might get a race seat again in 2016 and be pretty successful like Hulkenberg was after his unwanted sabbatical in 2011.
  
  But I agree that it could go both ways and that there seems to be a lot of uncertainty at the moment. Right now McLaren are a midfield team that are trying to act as world champions. There are still no announcements of new (title) sponsors or investors and the team clearly faces an uphill struggle.
  
  To sum up, I am sitting on the fence and grabbing pop corn…
  1. andae23 (@andae23)
    11th December 2014, 11:55
    
    @girts Fair points. Button’s salary going down probably also means he was more desperate for that seat than a year ago, but McLaren being the very last to announce their drivers didn’t help him either. I just think McLaren are overestimating themselves. But yeah, it will be very interesting to see whether Button can challenge Alonso like he challenged Hamilton for years.
    1. Dex
      11th December 2014, 12:17
      
      Hamilton has improved a lot since moving to Mercedes, particularly this year!
      1. Robbie (@robbie)
        11th December 2014, 13:03
        
        Personally I’m happy for Button, and I hope if this is his last year he will be told that in due time in order to enjoy a proper end to his career or the opportunity to seek out another ride. Otherwise for next season I don’t see this as a battle…these drivers are going to need to work together to advance the project.
2. Patrick (@paeschli)
  11th December 2014, 12:32
  
  Given Button’s salary cut, I don’t think he was that more expensive than Magnussen.
  
  If Button costs 5$ million more to hire than Magnussen, but he scores more points, McLaren can break even without too much trouble. The difference between finishing third and fourth in the constructors championship is about 7$ million.
Colossal Squid (@colossal-squid)
11th December 2014, 10:56

Tough for Magnussen, it would have been intriguing to see what he could have done in his second season. I hope this isn’t the last we’ll see of him as I think he’s got great ability, he was just a little rough around the edges in 2014.

Can’t say I can complain about seeing Button and Alonso in the same car though! Two world champions in the same team, I just hope that this time we get to see a bit of a battle after the Alonso-Raikkonen duel failed to materialise this season.
Peppermint-Lemon (@)
11th December 2014, 11:01

My second favourite driver of all time (Schumacher is my no1!!) has finally had it confirmed that McLaren wont ditch him in an unprofessional manner at last Ron Dennis has seen sense- I knew sense had to prevail eventually!
KaIIe (@kaiie)
11th December 2014, 11:08

So, that’s three Sennas in the field next year? Hamilton is just like Senna, Alonso wants to be like Senna, and Verstappen is the new Senna?
1. MrBoerns (@mrboerns)
  11th December 2014, 11:35
  
  Also lets not forget Schumacher was the new Senna and Vettel is the new Schumacher. So by transitive law, Vettel is the new Senna as well.
  1. Mashiat (@mashiat)
    11th December 2014, 11:53
    
    @mrboems Isn’t Bruno Senna the next Senna? So Anthony Davidson must be Alain Prost then…
    1. Mashiat (@mashiat)
      11th December 2014, 11:54
      
      @mrboerns
  2. barkun (@barkun)
    11th December 2014, 12:00
    
    pity that the only one who should have been eligible to the title of ‘new-Senna’; Bruno Senna, proved to be not as worthy as one would have expected.
    1. MrBoerns (@mrboerns)
      11th December 2014, 12:42
      
      But damn, did he look good in black and gold
2. caci99
  11th December 2014, 12:54
  
  Breaking some reincarnation law there :)
electrolite (@electrolite)
11th December 2014, 11:12

In an ideal world, a team should take the two best drivers available to them. McLaren are fortunate enough to be able to do this, so Alonso-Button is almost certainly the right decision. Button’s performance in the last few races was unbelievable; Alonso-esque, even.

I don’t think they’re going to be fighting for regular wins anytime soon, but there’s something about this whole setup I already like a whole lot more than during the Vodafone era.

Bring on the livery!!
1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
  11th December 2014, 12:10
  
  In an ideal world I’d have all ten fingers on my left hand so that my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
Dan
11th December 2014, 11:13

It’s all smiles now but if that Honda engine fails to overcome the McLaren chassis shortcomings, Alonso will throw his toys out the pram faster than Grosjean’s nipper. I’d love to know what get-out clauses he’s had written into his contract. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Spaniard’s instructed Flabio to keep bending Mercedes’ ear about giving him a seat as it’s bound to go pear-shaped with Ron eventually. Looking forward to the sparks flying! Bet Alonso would have preferred K-Mag in the other car.
Eggry (@eggry)
11th December 2014, 11:15

Now just make great car and power unit.
Retired (@jeff1s)
11th December 2014, 11:15

Oldest line up on the grid! Don’t know why they keep Button (I love him) as they already have an experienced driver in the name of Alonso. The brit media bashing over Ron and McLaren seems to have worked.

Two young drivers rejected in two years, what a bad management.

I’m reaaly angry about my long-time loved team.
1. 2face
  11th December 2014, 11:22
  
  It’s their 5 year plan :-)
2. Lars (@lars)
  11th December 2014, 12:30
  
  Agree
Stretch (@stretch)
11th December 2014, 11:18

Button deserves that seat, but do Mclaren deserve Button? Not after the last few months.
1. Diceman (@diceman)
  11th December 2014, 11:51
  
  I don’t think Mclaren deserves either of these drivers at the moment.
Nick
11th December 2014, 11:19

Very glad about this. It was the only sensible decision based on last seasons performance and the change in engines. I’m excited to see how Jenson compares to Fernando next year. I’m not sure there’s going to be much between them in qualifying as U don’t believe either of them are single lap specialists. Having said that, as Fernando is acknowledged as the yardstick in F1 (he is relentless on race day) Jenson very rarely goes backwards from his grid position either. I’d be very interested to see (perhaps this may be something Keith can help with?) is the percentage of races throughout their F1 careers where Jenson and Fernando have finished lower than their starting grid position. I would expect this to be quote low in comparison to most other drivers. Maybe check this against some other current and past drivers/champions.
1. Nick
  11th December 2014, 11:21
  
  Apologies for the autocorrects there!
Stig Semper Fi (@stigsemperfi)
11th December 2014, 11:20

As a McLaren fan I could not be more happy at this decision! And should be more interesting than Fernando and Kimi right?
1. quattro
  11th December 2014, 13:38
  
  Kimi who?
Alex
11th December 2014, 11:23

So thats the end. Lol funny to see how he make the pic near Ron Dennis when he didnt speak to him in 8 years (including the year in McLaren). So money buys everything, even partnerships. Will he be Nigel Mansell 2? We will see… He has more or less same style and same moustache as eyebrows.
Hairs (@hairs)
11th December 2014, 11:36

Some of this press release from McLaren is patent nonsense, or in direct contradiction of facts.

Rosberg and Hamilton are easily a match for Button/Alonso, if anything Rosberg is more likely to challenge for podiums than Jenson. There’s less to choose from between Lewis and Alonso but overall I don’t think Mercedes will rue their lineup.

Secondly, if this partnership is “orders of magnitude” better than any other available one, why did it take “orders of magnitude” longer than it should have to decide? Clearly something was going on behind the scenes, either boardroom drama around Ron’s position, or Alonso was the one who wasn’t fully signed up until the last minute. Alternatively McLaren won’t admit that they’re no longer a first choice for the great drivers on the grid.

Lastly, as Kimi/Alonso proved this year, 2 great drivers in a dog of a car means 2 frustrated drivers and no results.

Honda better get their act together.
1. Tony Hamilton (@tonybananas)
  11th December 2014, 13:39
  
  Kimi and Vettel have “orders of magnitude” more world titles between them as well. Well, two.
Dex
11th December 2014, 11:52

Best possible solution to McLaren’s dilemma. Young Kevin will be best placed when they sort out the car for 2016. This was what I thought should happen all along. It will be interesting to see how the two champions measure up. Jenson will be able to compare his new team mate with Lewis, although I think Lewis has grown even more during this season and now I think he has surpassed even Alonso. Who ever you support Lewis and Fernando are the two best on the grid, and they both know it!
wayne (@waynedru78)
11th December 2014, 11:56

I really do hope JB gives FA at great challenge and finally put to bed this myth that FA is the best driver lets wait and see :)
1. quattro
  11th December 2014, 13:44
  
  I am amazed of the magnitude of ignorance…
  So, that past 10 or so years when ALO has cleaned the floor with his team mates/opponents, no matter if world champions or not, has not convinced you, but if now BUT somehow manages to get more points than ALO for one year will make the difference?
  Some people are so in love with their personal views and opinions that they will rather put their head in the sand, or close their eyes and ears indefinetely rather than admit they were w r o n g e.
A.D. (@aks-das)
11th December 2014, 12:00

I believe McLaren did not want to upset the home fans after all, in current economic situation. Button is much more marketable talent than Kevin. Although I don’t see the benefit of this for long time. McLaren isn’t exactly going to win anything next year (I could be wrong).
I used to be Button fan few years ago, but in last two years I have been let down by what I have seen. Button turned out like Vettellish (If that is a word). Nonetheless best of luck and I hope McLaren gets atleast one podium next year.
Yoshisune (@yobo01)
11th December 2014, 12:03

Sensible choice. It’s a bit sad that Magnussen is without a seat for next year, but, honestly, if I had to decide between him and Button I’d choose Jenson.
Looking forward to Alonso vs Button next year.

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156 comments on “McLaren confirm Alonso and Button as 2015 drivers”