McLaren confirms Button and Alonso in 2015

McLaren has finally confirmed its crew for 2015 after long weeks of discussions. Jenson Button will continue the adventure as a starter alongside Fernando Alonso, anticipated for several months at Woking. The two holders signed a contract lasting several years. The big loser is therefore Kevin Magnussen who only played one season after being promoted thanks to the British structure's young driver program, but the Dane will keep one foot in the discipline by occupying the role of reservist.

This is the end of a long wait for Jenson Button whose future was most uncertain, with some seeing him turning towards theEndurance. “I’m really excited to embark on a 16th season in F1 and my sixth with McLaren”, commented the 2009 world champion whose the extension of his contract was only signed the day before. “I admired Ayrton Senna a lot, but it was the achievements of his teammate at McLaren-Honda, Alain Prost, who inspired me the most as a child... I'm also happy that Kevin remains on the team. He is a very fast driver and a good person. I already know the Honda staff well having driven their engines in F1 from 2003 to 2008. I'm also looking forward to having a teammate of Fernando's caliber as a teammate. I am sure we will work very well together. »

The confirmation of Fernando Alonso comes as no surprise since the double world champion had been expected at McLaren since the announcement of the departure of Sebastian Vettel de Red Bull à Ferrari. The Asturian will therefore make his return to the British team after a first complicated experience in 2007. “I have never hidden my deep admiration for Ayrton Senna, my favorite, my idol on the track, my reference… I join this project with great enthusiasm and immense admiration, knowing that it may take time to achieve the results we want, but it's not a problem for me. I have received several proposals in recent years, some being really very tempting given the performances displayed by certain teams. But McLaren-Honda contacted me over a year ago to ask me to join them. »

McLaren can finally head into the winter break, now that its line-up has been finalized. The British team took a particularly long time to confirm its drivers, as confirmed by Ron Dennis, President of the McLaren Group. “I think we got the best crew possible. We've been signing Fernando for a while, but we didn't want to make an announcement until we also confirmed Jenson as a teammate. For many reasons, negotiations with Jenson took quite a long time, but we are now certain that our collaboration will always be fruitful... Fernando and Jenson have between them exactly 500 Grands Prix and 47 victories... I would like to salute Kevin who has done a very good job this season and who will continue to evolve in our team . He will be our test pilot, reserve pilot and third pilot, and will remain a great prospect in the future. »