McLaren confirm Button for Monaco GP

McLaren has officially confirmed that Jenson Button will be racing at this year's Monaco Grand Prix, replacing Fernando Alonso who has decided to leave for the Indy 500.

Button signed a two-year deal with McLaren last year to stay on as an ambassador and a reserve driver, however, few expected to see him back in the race seat so soon. 

The Brit has taken victory at the Monaco Grand Prix before, crossing the line first in his title-winning year of 2009. Although he doesn't expect to repeat the same result this time around, he will look to soak the experience up.

"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.

"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 [Alonso] and Stoffel [Vandoorne] have raced it on so far this season."

Eric Boullier admits that he is delighted that Button decided to come back, saying that his return is not only great for McLaren, but for Formula 1 as a whole.

"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."

Button also spoke about former team mate Fernando Alonso's move to the Indy 500, and has wished him all the best for the race and hopes he take home a good result as well as a great experience.

"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."

Fergal Walsh