Ball in McLaren's court
Last Updated: August 29, 2011 1:34pm
Jenson Button: Wants to sign up
Jenson Button hopes his ride at McLaren is sorted out for next season soon and has urged team principal Martin Whitmarsh to finally take up the option on his contract given his desire to remain with the marque.
With seven grands prix to go this season Button is in the dark for 2012 as McLaren have yet to confirm he will be retained.
Of the top four teams - McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes - the 31-year-old is the only driver who does not have a guaranteed seat for next season.
Until Whitmarsh declares his hand, Button is in limbo.
Option
Asked as to when next year would be sorted, Button replied: "Well, if he (Whitmarsh) takes up the option...
"All he has to do is say yes, and I will say yes because I want to be here next year.
"It's up to the team as to when they approach me, but for me I'm the happiest I've been with the car."
Whilst the ball is firmly in McLaren's court with regard to Button for next year, the belief is negotiations are under way in relation to a deal beyond 2012.
However, Button and manager Richard Goddard are for now simply happy for McLaren to take up the option for next year.
It is inconceivable Button will not be retained, certainly not in the wake of his victories in Canada and Hungary, and then a "driver-of-the-day" display in yesterday's Belgian Grand Prix, as described by Whitmarsh.
Starting from 13th on the grid, dropping to 19th at the end of lap five following an early pit stop for a front-wing change that was damaged in the mayhem at the first corner, Button came home third behind winner Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
It was a case of what might have been for the Guernsey-based Briton after his woes in qualifying on Saturday as he now finds himself 110 points adrift of championship leader Vettel.
Three points further behind is team-mate Lewis Hamilton who had the good grace to hold his hands up to a lap-13 accident with Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi.
Hamilton has now been involved in six accidents in grands prix this season - more than any of the other leading drivers - five of which have been his fault.
Button can understand Hamilton's desire, in particular when you are trying desperately to do all you can to win races, and when you are faced with a daunting chasm to the runaway leader.
"I had some pretty bad luck through Valencia, Silverstone and the Nurburgring, and he is getting it now," added Button.
"It's tough on both of us. It would be nice to go through a whole season without any of that, but sometimes you can't.
"Keeping your nose clean is important, obviously, when you are fighting for a championship.
"But in the position that Lewis, myself, Mark (Webber) and Fernando (Alonso) are in, we don't have the luxury of just keeping our noses clean and getting good points. We have to fight for it.
"That is especially the case when Saturday (in qualifying) doesn't go as planned, or the first corner doesn't go as planned, you have to fight your way through.
"But sometimes it ends with you getting your nose chopped off, or ending up in a barrier, which is not nice, but the way it has to be."
With 175 points up for grabs, there is not much room left for error.
It is quickly becoming a case of doing nothing more than putting on a good show for the remaining weekends and seeing what happens.
"I don't think we're thinking about the championship. As we always say, we're just going to go to every race and try and win it," said Button.
"We were two places off a victory (in Belgium) in a race I thought we were going to win.
"It's frustrating we didn't, but we'll pull ourselves together, and if we get it all right at the next race (in Italy) then we'll have a very good chance of winning there.
"As long as we then get all the other wins we might be all right and we might have a chance. You never know.
"We have to hope they (Red Bull) have similar sorts of issues with reliability as we have had, but I don't think they will at the moment.
"They're going strong. They don't seem to be having those problems."
Credit: Sky Sports (www.skysports.com)
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