McLaren-Honda has announced that it will have former Formula 1 driver Jenson Button replace Fernando Alonso for the Monaco Grand Prix. The British outfit had announced earlier this week that Alonso would be participating in the Indianapolis 500 series for a single race on 28th May 2017. Since the day coincides with the F1 Monaco GP, Alonso will not be racing the F1 weekend. Button, who retired from team McLaren-Honda at the end of last season, is making a one-off return to the McLaren MCL32 and will be driving alongside his replacement Stoffel Vandoorne.
Speaking on his comeback, Jenson Button said, "I'm thrilled to be making a one-off return to Formula 1 racing, and I couldn't think of a better place to make that return than my adopted home Grand Prix: Monaco."
The 37-year-old Briton has won the Monaco GP back in 2009 and described the street circuit as a tricky one. He also said that the Monaco circuit might just be more suited for the McLaren-Honda MCL32. The car has not been able to perform well in the much faster tracks this season, but Button hopes for better results at Monaco and score some crucial world championship points. The Monaco circuit is a low-speed twisty track and will help team garner better results.
Speaking on Fernando Alonso's IndyCar 500 debut, Jenson Button said, "I hope he not only fares well at Indy but enjoys it too. It'll be a great experience for him. He's an excellent driver, as we all know, and he's very experienced, so, although super-speedway driving techniques will be all-new to him, I expect him to get to grips with it all pretty quickly."
The 2017 F1 season has kick started with Ferrari and Mercedes leading in championship points, followed by Red Bull showing some brilliant pace. While Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel has really made for an interesting duel, Max Verstappen is expected to be the dark horse, which could just make this a three-way fight. Meanwhile, we will be glued to the screens for the Bahrain GP this weekend.
