McLaren confirms Button as Alonso’s replacement for Monaco – essentiallysports.com

Following the sensational report that Fernando Alonso was going to appear in a one-off race at the Indy 500 in May, thereby missing the Monaco Grand Prix, speculation arose as to who would replace the Spaniard for that race. Immediately, all eyes fell on their reserve driver Jenson Button who had taken a sabbatical.

Button even teased his participation via Twitter when he tweeted “Why am i getting so many missed calls?” But eventually, McLaren Honda officially announced that Button will replace Alonso for the Monaco GP. The 37-year-old British driver will partner Belgian teammate Stoffel Vandoorne for the prestigious race along the French Riviera. “I’m thrilled to be making a one-off return to Formula 1 racing, and I couldn’t think of a better place to make that return than my adopted home Grand Prix: Monaco,” said the 2009 world champion.

“I’ve won the race before, in 2009, and it’s one of my all-time favourite racetracks. It’s a tricky street circuit on which a good driver can really make a difference – and, although the McLaren-Honda MCL32 hasn’t begun the season well, I think it may be more suited to Monaco than to the faster circuits that Fernando and Stoffel have raced it on so far this season. OK, I realise we won’t have a realistic chance of repeating my 2009 victory, but I think we’ll have a opportunity to score world championship points, which will be very valuable to the team in terms of constructors’ rankings.” Button had partnered Vandoorne last year when the latter stood in for an injured Alonso.

“I’ll drive the MCL32 around Monaco in the McLaren simulator beforehand, and I reckon I’ll be ready for the race after doing that. I’m supremely fit, having done a lot of triathlon training recently, so I have no worries on that score.” said the veteran driver.

“I was truly delighted when Jenson accepted our suggestion that he race at Monaco instead of Fernando, and I know I speak on behalf of everyone at McLaren-Honda, and all our sponsor-partners and fans too, when I say that it’s great news for Jenson, for McLaren, for Honda, for our sponsor-partners, for Monaco, and for the sport of Formula 1. Jenson is a class act. He’s a superb driver – fast, smooth and precise – and he won’t have lost any of his competitive edge over the past few months.” said Eric Boullier, McLaren Honda’s racing director.

When Button joins Vandoorne on the grid, he will equal Michael Schumacher’s record for the most number of starts, which is 306 grand prix starts. He will also move to second in the all-time list of most number of start behind former teammate Rubens Barrichello. He even had a few words for Alonso’s stint at Indy, “As for Fernando, I hope he not only fares well at Indy but enjoys it too. It’ll be a great experience for him. He’s an excellent driver, as we all know, and he’s very experienced, so, although super-speedway driving techniques will be all-new to him, I expect him to get to grips with it all pretty quickly. And on Sunday evening, after the Monaco Grand Prix, I’ll sit down and watch him do his stuff on TV. I’m looking forward to that too.

Button confirmed that he will not be stepping in the car at all until Monte Carlo, so he is yet to get to grips with the 2017 regulations.