You say that like it was similar to Alonso/McLaren in 2007! Am I missing something because I thought the reason Honda ended badly was because of their management practices that made it difficult to create a good car. Sure, they gave him a bad car for 2 years but I don't think Button holds a grudge. Anyway, had they had the balls to stick around they may well have ended up with the 2009 WCC title, not to mention that Button gave them their last win in F1 in 2006. Not to be unoriginal, but everyone said that about Hamilton/Button. Plus, even if Alonso does beat him so what? A) Is it a bad thing to beaten by the driver that many consider to be the best of a generation? Every driver wants to beat their team mate but I think you'd be less disappointed losing to Alonso than you would to Sutil for example. B) From a team perspective, surely they want the most points they can get for the WCC? Button is currently 51 points ahead of Magnussen which will make a fair difference come the end of the season. I think of all the drivers out there Button is one of the more capable people of having a fair and decent working relationship with team mates. Considering that McLaren need to be on the up next year they need all the help they can get, whether on the track, behind the scenes developing more performance or just generally in keeping a good vibe and atmosphere (especially when one considers that Alonso is more than capable of creating a bad atmosphere - though I acknowledge that he appears to have mellowed since 2007). It is utterly beyond me what McLaren seem to think Magnussen is going to bring to the table over Button aside from a lower wage bill but as previously mentioned, the better result in the WCC will more than cover Button's wage.
Magnussen is till in his debut season, so is really allowed to be a bit behind Button this year. Hulkenberg taking a year out after his debut season was a disaster for him as he has constantly been overlooked for top drives ever since. McLaren would be better investing time and money in a driver who is likely to be a contender to lead the team in a few years. Alonso only has a few years left, Button the same. Why have to drivers who are in the twilights of their career? Would not be a forward thinking move. If McLaren were to not race Kmag next year, they should release him so he can go and race somewhere else. I doubt he would be happy being put on the sidelines when he hasn't really done much wrong this year and has been much much better in the second half of the season.
I think McLaren genuinely don't know what to do about who to race alongside Alonso. They're damned if they do and damned if they don't. At least it will give us a bit of off-season discussion once Abu Dhabi is out of the way!
A lot changes in a couple of seasons though, in 2017 they'll be many drivers maturing and getting into their stride such as Bottas & Ricciardo, plus plenty of drivers who will still have 3 or more years left in them like Hamitlon, Vettel etc. 33/34 really isn't that old in this era and Button really is one of the fittest on the grid, I honestly believe he has 3 good seasons left. I disagree with Magnussen "having a better 2nd half of the season", he's been beaten 6 times out of the 7 times both he and Button have finished. Yes he's a rookie and it is to be expected that he makes mistakes, but I feel that he's still only had an average season. I think Hulk being overlooked has partly been due to constantly switching teams and partly due to his height and the corresponding weight restrictions on the cars. The year out didn't help but I wouldn't say it was a disaster as such. Yes I think this is the case. I totally understand the need for future planning as it can backfire if you don't have a good 2nd option, as was demonstrated by McLaren having to sign Perez for 2013. Ultimately though, these things have to judged on an individual basis. In this case, I believe that in Alonso and Button, McLaren would have a guaranteed reliable pair for the next 2 seasons, after which other options will be available. The thing that keeps coming back to me about Magnussen though is that aside from the 1st round of the season, he hasn't been in the top 5 in another race apart from Russia. By comparison, Button has 5 top 5 places over the season not counting the 1st round. This is why I really just can't see the hype about Magnussen. Plus, Alonso is not beneath jumping ship and leaving them in the lurch, then they could end up with another 2013 but with 2 underwhelming drivers in the cars instead of just 1.
For me it's a no-brainer to go with Button. Mclaren next season are going to have a brand new engine supplier and a significantly overhauled aero department, driver feedback is going to be invaluable to begin with, and Alonso and Button have over 500 starts between them, giving them loads of experience to draw on. Whether or not he officially gets number 1 status, Mclaren will be trying to get Alonso to challenge for the WDC, and having an absolutely solid car is going to be crucial to that. Secondly, Button is currently still faster than Magnussen, and definitely more likely to bring the car home safely. Mclaren haven't won the Constructor's this millennium, and having two fast yet safe pairs of hands will be very important. Thirdly (as alluded to by others), the F1 drivers market changes rapidly. Button may still have 2-3 seasons left in him, by which time the grid could look very different. Why compromise yourself now by taking a currently weaker driver in KMag, and assume nobody equal/better will be available in a few seasons? So overall, why would you gamble on the inexperienced, somewhat error prone and currently slower KMag, in the hope that he'll improve beyond Button's pace within 3 seasons, whilst also assuming nobody else worthy of a drive will be out there? For me, the ideal scenario for Mclaren is to let KMag go to a midfield team, with a clause that allows them to bring him back after 1 or 2 seasons. I think they're stalling because those midfield seats aren't available. Perez is the only driver I don't think has been confirmed yet, and he reckons he'll have a deal soon.
Its McLaren making a major decision. It was always inevitable they would get it wrong. Edit: His driver room for this race is covered with photos of career highlights... Not looking good.
I agree and sensible for McLaren, although they've messed both drivers around and left them with little option if they don't get the drive.
Actually, I have sympathy for both drivers and I've been impressed by how they seem to be handling it, Magnussen in a stoic silence and Button with a large degree of good humour.
I have it on very good authority (From a former BAR Honda engineer), that the problem with the BAR and then Honda F1 team was Honda. Specifically Honda being very, very conservative with the engine. They were approx 130bhp down on the top unit. The cars they were producing were fundamentally fine, just powered by a dog of an engine most the time. The feeling is, if Honda had stuck around, the car that would have been the Honda car, which was the championship winning Brawn would have lost it's advantage much, much sooner that season due to the power defecit they would have faced. The car apparently in simulation was a full second a lap faster with the Merc shoehorned in (via a weird array of spacers, washers etc), than it was with the powerplant it was meant to have. Remains to be seen if Honda return conservative. Rumor is the 2015 Honda engine is very close the the 2014 merc one. The bad news is Merc say they have a second in their pocket through the engine tweaks/development they are allowed over the winter. So being close to 2014 Merc power isn't going to be good enough unless they find the same step.
That doesn't really tie in with their massive dip in form from where they were in 2005 and 2006, to what happened in 2007-2008. Even the Super Aguri's in 2007, which were effectively 2006 ex-Honda chassis, were beating the works Honda cars. I'd be surprised if Honda are being conservative, it's not really their style when it comes to racing. Magnesium tubs in the 60's (RIP Schlesser), the dominant Honda V6 and V10's of the 80's & 90's etc. Honda do make mistakes of judgement as well, they tried to out-Ferrari Ferrari by switching to a V12 in 1991 for no apparent reason which was heavier, thirstier and no more powerful than the V10 it replaced.
I've heard stories of Honda being conservative too. Like it wasn't that the engine didn't have the power, but they weren't allowed to make it all available to the drivers in case it failed. Presumably the executive types were more afraid that an engine failure would damage the brand, and didn't feel running around at the back of the grid did.
Don't think JB tested the front wing today - he didn't make reference to it in his interview and I don't recall seeing it in practise.
That was it. They had the engines turned right down in the works cars, the engineers were begging Honda to turn them back up but the execs were wanting to push their "our engines are built to last" view, Basically Honda were using F1 as a technical exercise only, Marketing exercise second and weren't bothered about the racing side on top of it.
I agree...Button raised his game vs Lewis so why not Alonso. There is some game afoot. Putting Mag in another car doesn't look an option so maybe that is the worry. They need Button but Mag is the future and they want a way of keeping him.
Different topic...anyone think Stoneman (F3) could get into F1. After his cancer comeback he is showing some form. He had a contract with Williams in 2010 then was diagnosed with cancer within weeks. Remarkable story really given he was so close to dying.
Ron Dennis gave a very long answer in FP3 when questioned about next year, but gave nothing away. Said they were waiting for all the data (meaning the end of this race) so they could make a good decision. This might be me reading too much into it, but it sounded like there were more drivers in the frame than the 3 usual suspects.
He just said Vandoorne is in it too. So i'm guessing he's waiting to see if he can clinch 2nd in the gp2 championship and then making a decision
