Jenson Button will return to Formula 1 for next month’s Monaco Grand Prix, as Fernando Alonso’s one-off replacement, McLaren has confirmed.
Alonso will compete at the Indianapolis 500 this year, with a one-car McLaren team, run by Andretti, and powered by Honda, meaning he has to skip the Monaco Grand Prix.
McLaren confirmed on Friday that Button, who remains under contract as an ambassador, will come out of retirement to pilot the MCL32, alongside Stoffel Vandoorne, around the streets of the Principality.
"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," said Button
“I’ve won the race before, in 2009, and it’s one of my all-time favourite racetracks. It’s a tricky street circuit on which a good driver can really make a difference – and, although the McLaren-Honda MCL32 hasn’t begun the season well, I think it may be more suited to Monaco than to the faster circuits that Fernando and Stoffel have raced it on so far this season.
“OK, I realise we won’t have a realistic chance of repeating my 2009 victory, but I think we’ll have an opportunity to score world championship points, which will be very valuable to the team in terms of constructors’ rankings.
“As for Fernando, 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.
"And on Sunday evening, after the Monaco Grand Prix, I’ll sit down and watch [Fernando] do his stuff on TV. I’m looking forward to that too.
"But most of all I’m looking forward to pitting myself against the unique racing challenge that is the Monaco Grand Prix. 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."
Alonso will return to Formula 1 for the Canadian Grand Prix to complete the remainder of the season.
McLaren also confirmed that Vandoorne and Oliver Turvey will share duties during next week's in-season test in Bahrain.
