Jenson Button said his family and friends had made his “last” race in Formula One an emotional experience here on Sunday . Button continued his fine recent form by finishing fifth in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but still does not know whether it was his final race because a terminally indecisive McLaren team cannot decide whether he or his team-mate Kevin Magnussen will partner the new signing, Fernando Alonso, in 2015.
The British driver, who has been with McLaren for the last third of his 15 years in F1, said: “A lot of people have asked me is it any different, thinking it might be my last race, but not really. Because you go into every race with the same mindset, to do the best you can. It’s when you see your family and friends look at you in a different way, it makes you a little bit emotional. When I walked into the garage before the race it was tough because all the mechanics are ready for the man-hugs, and that was really tough. And you could see in their faces. And I said ‘guys, I’m getting in a Formula One car now’.”
Looking at his future, Button, who will be 35 in January, said: “The contract runs out at the end of December. I will be in contact with the guys. I talked to Ron [Dennis, McLaren executive chairman] after the race, like I do after every race. But still no news. We’ll see in a few days. But I’ve given it my all, that’s all I can do. It’s been a real pleasure racing with this team for the past five years. The people I’ve worked with have been fantastic. They’re like a family. So it will be a shame if I’m not here but it’s been a pleasure.”
The delay in announcing the line-up for next season has been put down to a difference of opinion between Dennis and McLaren’s racing director, Eric Boullier, with the Frenchman favouring keeping Button on and Dennis preferring Magnussen. Button is 12 years older than Magnussen and, on an estimated £12m, earns about 20 times more money.
Button said it had not helped having his team changed in mid-season. “I had an engineer for four years in F1 and we had such a good bond. But he was moved elsewhere in the team. It was a shock to me. But I’m all for the good of the team.
“So I was given a new race engineer who had never been a race engineer before. And a new data engineer who had never been a data engineer before. It was a tough time.
“Because you get a bond with your engineer. A good understanding. It’s very easy for me to explain how the car is but the problem is another driver might explain it in a completely different way.
“It took a few races, and I’m sure they don’t mind me saying that, but I feel we’ve learned so much and the bond is there now and there is a great understanding between us. I think you can see that, in the last five races. You see that connection and how we’ve moved the car forward to a place I would like to drive it.”
If it was his last race Button plans to return to McLaren’s Woking factory to say goodbye.
