The future of Jenson Button for a long time was up in the air following the conclusion of the 2014 Formula 1 season, but the announcement of his continuation with the McLaren F1 Team meant he was able to enjoy the time off during off-season, and was even able to get married to his long-time girlfriend Jessica Michibata.
But now the 2009 Formula 1 World Champion’s attention is focused on the 2015 season, and the launch of the first Honda-powered McLaren since 1992 has caused some excitement. He admitted he cannot wait until he gets out on track next week in the McLaren-Honda MP4/30.
“The off-season has really brought about a sense of renewal coming into 2015 – continuing my relationship with McLaren, getting married, and now embarking on such an exciting chapter: McLaren’s new partnership with Honda,” said Button.
“I’ve trained hard over the winter, and I’m absolutely itching to get going in the new McLaren-Honda MP4-30.”
Button feels that the team have found a new sense of optimism since reviving the partnership with Honda after twenty years of using Mercedes-power. He has seen first-hand how motivated the mechanics have been while assembling the MP4/30, but knows that the first few days of testing and possibly more will be hard as they work through any potential teething problems that may arise.
“It’s been interesting to spend time in the factory during the past few weeks: you can really sense a feeling of re-ignited optimism and positivity around the building,” stated Button. “I’ve never seen such motivation amongst the guys – we’re all massively keen to get going in Jerez and to work hard on developing our new car. But we’re under no illusion that it will be easy – there’s a huge challenge ahead of us to try to pull back the gap to our rivals, but we’re certainly up for it.
“We ended last season with great momentum and clear progress, and I’m determined to carry that forward into 2015.”
Button also talked about his new team-mate Fernando Alonso, and believes that the two most experienced drivers on the F1 grid in 2015 will be able to work together to bring the McLaren-Honda team back to the front of the grid.
“I’m also looking forward to working with my new team-mate, Fernando, and I’m confident that our joint experience on track will pay dividends in our development race to get our team back to the front of the grid,” commented Button.
“I’m hugely motivated to make more history in this new McLaren-Honda era.”
