So did I hear right on the Sky F1 show on Friday?
Driver announcement this Wednesday, 3rd?
The more time goes on, the more I think Jenson will get a seat.
I admire your optimism LR, but lets say Jenson had any serious chance of a seat at this stage, dont you think there would be those within the team saying the way he has been treated, the public humiliation and metal abuse heaped upon his feathered shoulders renders a position in the team alongside Alonso untenable. This would be for the team to risk a driver harbouring a grudge, a driver who has confirmation that the team do not respect his well being careerwise, and a driver who produced his best only under the threat of the sack.
It would be discussed at some point that signing him up for a year comes with the risk of his performance collapsing after he gets paid - unless he goes on a pay per points scheme and we know he has rejected one alread claiming that as a WDC he should be paid for this kudos he brings to the team
Most important though is to sign Jenson now would be to admit that the team are a bunch of dithering incompetent unable to analyse the data on 2 drivers in a day before making a decision. However were they to dump him, then their reputation for putting the team, and the stakeholders interests first, and before sentiment or easy discisions will be enhanced and would be a great marker between the previous and the new
Then we have this perfectly timed primer for the 'decision' that had to be made a few days after the end of season without the media throng at the race etc. This tells you what they want to use as the excuse when Jenson is dumped from a great height into the sh!t, so that the splatter is minimal - that its not about performance, its about some other mysterious metric that has therefore had to take so long
Guys lets face it Jenson was history the day Ron came back
Bad news for Jenson Button but good news for Kevin Magnussen as Eric Boullier says his drivers' points tally won't dictate who races in 2015.
Expected to confirm Fernando Alonso as one of McLaren-Honda's drivers for next season, it is between Button and Magnussen as to who partners the Spaniard.
If points in 2014 were the deciding factor it would go to Button who outscored his rookie team-mate by 126 to 55.
And if qualifying played a role it would also go to Button, who qualified ahead of the Dane in 10 of 19 grands prix.
Luckily for Magnussen, Boullier says neither of those stats will factor.
"If it was all about statistics, it would be really easy," the McLaren Racing Director explained to Autosport.