06/11/2014
NEWS STORY
Jenson Button says he is excited by the challenges ahead, whilst claiming he might not accept new McLaren contract even if it is offered.
As McLaren keeps everyone guessing as to its 2015 line-up, despite many believing the Woking outfit has already secured the services of Fernando Alonso, Button is refusing to play the media's game, keeping his cards close to his chest and even claiming that he might not want to remain with the Woking team.
Asked ahead of this weekend's race whether he would be happy to remain with McLaren, with whom he has spent five seasons, he said: "That is a good question that I cannot answer at this moment in time.
"When you are put in a position that many drivers have been in over the years, not sure if your contract is going to be renewed, it opens your eyes to different challenges and different possibilities," he continued. "Whether it's racing, whether it's doing another sport, or something different altogether, for me I am excited about the challenges ahead. I have a lot that I am excited about, a lot of different ideas, whether it is for next year or the year after.
“This is a massive part of my life and it is not going to stop. It will continue. I just don't know where that is going to be right now. I will definitely be in the sport in some shape or form… and it is going to be massively exciting.”
If Alonso is McLaren-bound, it is unclear whether the team would partner him with Button, the most experienced driver on the grid, and the most amiable, or hot shot Kevin Magnussen. Honda, which returns to F1 with the Woking team next season, has a long history with the Briton.
"It's been going on for months now,” he said of the situation. “Initially, I was like 'OK, what's all that about?' But then it makes you think about other opportunities and challenges, in F1 and other motorsport. There's so much out there, so many challenges I am interested in taking on.
"What I miss more than anything else right now, is that fighting for the win, that is probably the most difficult thing at this moment in time, that we cannot challenge for wins," he admitted. "If I am in Formula One next year I have got to be winning. That's what I am here to do and the last two years have not been like that. The first three years with McLaren were amazing, challenging for wins. We didn't quite win the championship but it was a mega challenge. The last two years have been tough, next year if I am in Formula One I want to be winning races.
"I am still a racing driver who has won a world championship and wants to go and achieve a lot more in motor sport," he concluded. "My career's not over, whichever way it goes."
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