Button set to replace Alonso at Monaco

Jenson Button is set to replace Fernando Alonso for next month's Monaco Grand Prix, as the Spaniard heads to the US to compete in the Indy 500. 

McLaren executive director Zak Brown yesterday said two-time champion Alonso's replacement is "not in place". However, Button is contracted to McLaren, and with no other driver in place, looks set to make a return to the grid on a track where he has won once, in his title-winning year of 2009.

The Brit announced at the Italian Grand Prix in 2016 that he would be taking a step back from Formula 1 this year. He would not be racing but would remain with McLaren as an ambassador and reserve driver, with the latter point put in place to make sure the Woking based team wouldn't be stuck if they lost one of their drivers.

We assumed it to be unlikely, but Alonso's shock announcement yesterday that he would not be taking part in the Monaco Grand Prix leaves McLaren to find another driver - and with Button contracted, there really isn't any other real options, only daring and exotic ones.

At a Bahrain press conference, Brown said:  "We have a few different options, we will state who that is when we know. Eric [Boullier], who runs the F1 team, is ultimately responsible for making the recommendation as to what driver should go in the car and I think he will be here at the weekend so I can save questions for him, he is working on it. I wouldn't want to share the conversations he has had with whom."

Plenty of driver names have been thrown around, but Button's deal was signed for this exact purpose. Despite not racing, he remains part of the team and agreed to race again if any such situation like this cropped up. 

Fergal Walsh