Jenson set to sign new McLaren Deal. Is Jenson or McLaren the biggest winner ?

[Greenlantern101]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92479

looks like Jenson is set to be tied in to McLaren for a new deal. Considering he is on great form you can't help think the deal would be a long one. Given that assumption is it Jenson that is the bigger beneficiary or Mclaren.

As a second point, is this stage 1 of getting Lewis onboard long term as well. If he knows his team mate is Jenson for the next 5 years (or what ever) will he be more willing to sign up when his contract expires at the end of 2012. They do seem to work well together even after having crashed last weekend.

This could be long term stability for Mclaren like they had with DC and Mika.

 

[teabagyokel]

Both. I think McLaren aren't sure if Lewis isn't going to runoff, and thus keeping Button is a good step.
Button spent so long trying to get to a top team he isn't going to throw it away now!

 

[RasputinLives]

I'm with TBY - Jenson seems happier than I've seen him in a team and if you look at the results he's got over the last season and a half you have to say he's justified at least another year. He's certainly done better than I ever expected him too.

I think Mclaren would be in a mess if they let Jenson go and then Lewis went too - I think as long as they have Jenson secure they know they have at least one driver he is known to produce results which will enable them to take a gamble on someone else (a Rosberg, Di Resta, Hulkenberg or Sam Bird) if Lewis does decide to leave.

It would be interesting to see who they went for if Button went to Ferrari and Hamilton to Red Bull though. I'm pretty sure they'd have to bring Rosberg in just for a bit of experience. Then knowing Rosberg's luck Merc will build a blinder of a car!

 

[Sarinaide]

I mean't to click Jensen on the vote oh wells

I think Jensen is the winner to get a multi year (long) contract with McLaren at 31 odd years of age is a great deal for him. If he delivers big for McLaren then it will be a win, if he consistently falls behind Lewis and/or the title leaders then I may be seen as a bung deal.

I think the best way to access the situation would be if Ferrari will pull finger and get the car more competitive so that we have a genuine 3 team race (that saying that McLaren and Ferrari have a lot to catch up to Red Bull). If he cannot help McLaren win or be right up there, that is how it will be seen to bee a win or lose deal.

Right now for the security and payment, Jensen is the winner.

 

[FB]

Button is the Ying to Hamilton's Yang. Different style, different qualities and different attitude. Having grown up from his playboy days Button has matured into a pretty serious driver and a new contract at McLaren can only be to his and McLaren's benefit.

 

[Road of Bones]

Both - McLaren get a proven race-winner with a positive attitude to provide the anchor in case Lewis jumps ship. Lewis will either stay (to keep McLaren "his" team), or move on to contest WDCs in a more competitive car (as he sees it). This would therefore open up McLaren to bring in another young hotshoe (Sam Bird would be my choice too, or Nico Hulkenberg).

Must be lovely to have Ferrari chasing you, but why would Jenson want to be Alonso's wingman? Rubens has never really lived-down being Schuey's poodle, has he?

 

[Bill Boddy]

Button has gone the same way as Moss. They both looked at the options and then chose the one where they were most unlikely to win. They should be applauded for wanting to test themselves against the best driver where there was a vacancy.

 

[jez101]

Both for me. There is definitely a positive vibe around Jenson since he won the championship and McLaren have benefited from his calmness and humour. Jenson now has the prospect of five more years perhaps in a car that will be fighting for wins and perhaps even the championship every year, not to mention a nice big pay raise

 

[Senna's_right_foot]

Great deal for both, I think. Button has clearly fitted in well at McLaren, and gets on well with Hamilton despite being out-qualified and out-raced more often than not. He seems genuinely happy to be in a top team, and while I don't think he'll ever win another WDC I believe he is the perfect foil for Hamilton. You could say he's Berger to Hamilton's Senna and I think that suits everyone given McLaren's lack of WCC success of late.

 

[Theo_55]

Jenson benefits more in this deal.

Jenson is a very good driver, however, on occasions he is more cautious than adventurous, he drove an excellent race to win in Canada which was against his natural tendancies, I think his driving in Canada was as a result of the collision with Hamilton, it would not have look good for the team with one car wrecked and the other in the mid points.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

I think his driving in Canada was as a result of the collision with Hamilton, it would not have look good for the team with one car wrecked and the other in the mid points.

So you're saying Button purposely drives slow in most races and only drives to his best levels once in a blue moon? Are you serious?​

It seemed like a no-brainer for Jenson. He's in his "home" team with people he knows and who like him ... and doesn't have the unknown of going to an "Austrian team" with it's German Number 1 or and Italian team with it's "Latin Number 1". Language means something and Vettel gells well with RBR/Mateschitz/Marko and similarly Alonso with Ferrari.

So, it's the Devil You Know with Jenson and McLaren and, for Jenson, he's in a top tier team.

For McLaren, they have one of the top 3 drivers (Hamilton) on the grid as well as the 4th best driver (Button)...and, thus, the services of two of the best four drivers on the grid right now.

McLaren have the strongest driver pairing in F1 these days.

 

[Road of Bones]

...there's another reason Jenson should stay at McLaren - if he went to Ferrari, I'd have to support them, which I'm not sure I could ever bring myself to do...

 

[RasputinLives]

The more I think about Jenson in a Ferrari the more I like the idea. Nige went there and they loved him!

He's taken on Lewis and a team-mate why not take on Fernando?

 

[Theo_55]

So you're saying Button purposely drives slow in most races and only drives to his best levels once in a blue moon? Are you serious?​

McLaren have the strongest driver pairing in F1 these days.

In my humble opinion, Button's driving was on the ragged edge in Canada, this is not his normal driving style.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

In my humble opinion, Button's driving was on the ragged edge in Canada, this is not his normal driving style.

Honestly, Theo, you're underestimating just how fast that McLaren is in race trim these days. After leaving Turkey, McLaren has brought an enviable suite of upgrades and the races after showed just how potent that MP4-26 has become. Hamilton was right up Vettel's backside in Spain with Button well ahead of Webber when both were in clean air...Button should have won in Monaco...and Button sailed by Webber in Canada as if his RBR was standing still and homed in on Vettel inspite of going through the pit lane 3 extra times in the race than necessessary.

Button was simply fulfilling the promise of a winning package. That MP4-26 is a faster Grand Prix car than the RB7 right now so I don't think he was on as raged an edge as you're suggesting.

Vettel and Webber were the ones on the raged edge in the final stint on dry tyres.

 

[Theo_55]

Honestly, Theo, you're underestimating just how fast that McLaren is in race trim these days. After leaving Turkey, McLaren has brought an enviable suite of upgrades and the races after showed just how potent that MP4-26 has become. Hamilton was right up Vettel's backside in Spain with Button well ahead of Webber when both were in clean air...Button should have won in Monaco...and Button sailed by Webber in Canada as if his RBR was standing still and homed in on Vettel inspite of going through the pit lane 3 extra times in the race than necessessary.

Button was simply fulfilling the promise of a winning package. That MP4-26 is a faster Grand Prix car than the RB7 right now so I don't think he was on as raged an edge as you're suggesting.

Vettel and Webber were the ones on the raged edge in the final stint on dry tyres.

I am not doubting what you said but I really do not think Vettel has been pushed this season, the Monaco race was very lucky for him because of the Red Flag, however, I personally think Alonso would have won the race and Button would have played it safe and accept second, Vettel's tyres were too far gone to fight off Alonso and Button.

The Canadian race was a lottery, we don't know who had the better suspension setup for a wet race, it was speculated that McLaren gambled on a semi wet setup for the race and that's why they did not qualify well in Q3.

When they are racing in normal conditions, Vettel always appear to have the answer to anyone catching him, thus, that's why I am thinking there is spare capacity there and he is just crusing at the front in clear air.

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

Gone for Both as i think Mclaren and Jenson Button have found a respect for each other and to me this partnership has worked out quite well over the past year and a bit. Plus JB is a race winner and Mclaren produce race winning cars (most of the time) so can't see the point in both wanting a split.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

When they are racing in normal conditions, Vettel always appear to have the answer to anyone catching him, thus, that's why I am thinking there is spare capacity there and he is just crusing at the front in clear air.

I think he had "spare capacity" in the races prior to the successful introduction of McLaren's suite of upgrades but that dissappeared in Spain, Monaco and Canada. It was true of Australia (where Hamilton was hobbled) and Malaysia and Turkey. But I didn't see any spare capacity in the last 3 races.

In 4 of the 7 races, Vettel has had drivers either over-haul him (China, Canada) or right up his backside to the chequered (Spain, Monaco).

 

[FB]

Before this goes galloping off into another discussion about the Canadian GP can I just remind members that this is to discuss the merits and demerits of Jenson Button signing a new contract with McLaren and who, if either, is the greatest beneficiary.

Thanks

FB

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

FB, perhaps I can tie up my MP4-26 comments to suggest Button's tying his intermediate term fortunes to a team that's in the ascendency and about to leap-frog into Pole position at Silverstone following the EBD regulations change.