McLaren's 2015 Driver Delay Hints at Formula 1 Reprieve for Jenson Button

Jenson Button has retained his dignity throughout Formula One's biggest transfer saga, but the true extent of his hurt and anger became clear over the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.

After five seasons of service to McLaren, the British driver looked set to be dropped like a stone as the team turned to Fernando Alonso—who replaced Button at Renault 11 years ago—to partner Kevin Magnussen and become the poster boy of the new Honda-powered era.

Although, on the eve of the Japanese Grand Prix in October, Button assured Formula1.com that nobody should "feel sorry for me" if his career were to be ended prematurely; the 2009 world champion cut a very different figure at the Interlagos circuit almost two weeks ago.

Fed up with being left in a state of limbo, Button told Sky Sports' Pete Gill that it was by no means a certainty that he would accept a contract extension from McLaren if he were offered one, sticking two fingers up at their exciting new project, which is hoped to recreate their glory days of the 1980s and early 1990s.

That prickliness soon turned to self-pity, with Button quoted by The Telegraph's Daniel Johnson as claiming that he felt marginalised by McLaren.

He stated:

"

You want to feel like you are wanted within a team and part of the family. It’s like if your parents were to turn round and say, 'You know what, we’re not sure if we want you at Christmas this year. But your brother can come, he’s great.'

You want to feel like you are part of the family and that they want you to be a part of the family.

"

Although Magnussen's status as a rookie driver and a graduate of the outfit's young driver scheme has for a while suggested that McLaren would invest time and faith in the 22-year-old, Button's recent upturn in form seems to have sparked a rethink.

McLaren originally planned to announce their 2015 driver line-up prior to this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as per ESPN F1, but a message released via the team's official Twitter account on Tuesday said that they will not confirm their plans until December 1 at the earliest.

This is despite Autosport.com's Jonathan Noble reporting last week that meetings were due at the team's headquarters to "finally settle whether it is Button or Magnussen who stays on board in 2015." 

If we are to add two and two together, the only logical conclusion to take from these developments is that those meetings—if indeed they did take place—failed to result in a concrete decision, with the team requiring more time than expected to decide between their current drivers.

McLaren delaying their driver announcement is perhaps a reflection of how impressive Button's recent performances have been—the 2009 title winner has finished in the top five in three of the last four grands prix—and how he has wrestled the momentum from Magnussen.

The 34 points that Button has scored in that time has provided McLaren with some breathing space in their fight for fifth in the constructors' standings, with that exact margin separating the Woking outfit and Force India in the standings ahead of the double-points Abu Dhabi race.

Button's eye-catching displays over the last six weeks may be viewed as a consequence of "contract time"—the period of a given season when drivers' performance levels rise just as their places in the sport come under threat—but his advantage over Magnussen, who has scored 51 points fewer than his team-mate this season, is clear.

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

The timing of McLaren's tweet will produce an added dimension to this weekend's race and the two-day test that follows.

While the world will focus on the world championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a similarly compelling inter-team battle will occur at McLaren.

The race will now become something of an audition, the penultimate chance to sway the decision-makers, for Magnussen and Button.

And with the team set to run their interim Honda car at the post-season test, it may come down to which driver outperforms the other at the Yas Marina Circuit and can follow that up by providing sufficient initial feedback on the Japanese manufacturer's 2015 power unit. 

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Less than a fortnight ago, Button was a dead man walking.

After 15 years, 15 wins, 50 podium finishes and one world title, he appeared to be psychologically primed to leave it all behind and to jump before he suffered the humiliation of being pushed.

While his body language has told one story, however, his on-track exploits have told another.

Despite being just two months away from his 35th birthday, he remains more than capable of delivering when he is provided with adequate machinery.

McLaren have seemingly recognised this just in the nick of time—and if they do ultimately keep Button, the roller-coaster ride of emotions in recent weeks will steel the 2009 world champion for a tussle with Alonso next year.