Jenson Button Will Fill In For Alonso At Monaco Grand Prix
Button will predictably take Alonso’s seat for the Monaco Grand Prix, but will be able to repeat his victory run of 2009?
Surprising no one, Jenson Button will be standing in for Fernando Alonso at this year's Monaco Grand Prix. As we all know, Alonso is skipping the race so that he can drive in the Indy 500. Button semi-retired at the end of last season, and is now doing some sort of "ambassador" work for McLaren. Button, who won the 2009 World Championship with Braun, is also McLaren's reserve driver.
The statements issued my Button and McLaren are some of the happiest things to come from the team this year. They are fully aware of the situation they are stuck in, but can do very little about.
Button said "I'll drive the MCL32 around Monaco in the McLaren sim beforehand, and I reckon I'll be ready for the race after doing that.:
"I'm supremely fit, having done a lot of triathlon training recently, so I have no worries on that score."
Eric Boullier, McLaren's racing director had upbeat words come out of his mouth for, most likely, the first time in months.
"Jenson is a class act. He's a superb driver - fast, smooth and precise - and he won't have lost any of his competitive edge over the past few months. After all, he's missed only a handful of grands prix since his last outing in Abu Dhabi in late November last year, and he's as fit as a fiddle.
"Also, he's always been good at Monaco. He'll do a great job for us, I'm sure of that."
Monaco should be a decent race for McLaren. The slow speeds of the track won't be as taxing on their engines, which have been the bane of their existence for going on three seasons now. McLaren says their chassis and aerodynamics are sound. Monaco will prove that to be right or wrong.
This is the best opportunity for the team to score points this year. Button is a very good driver, a great driver by most accounts; the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix comes to mind. If the engine makes it to the end of the race, he'll probably be in the points.
Chances are slim to none that Button will do a repeat of his accidental victory run up the front straight from 2009. But stranger things have happened. McLaren just need to click their brake pads together three times and say "There's no place like the top step of the podium. There's no place like the top step of the podium. There's no place like the top step of the podium ..."
