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Now that it's confirmed Alonso will miss the Monaco GP to race the Indy 500, who do you think are the most realistic options to replace Alonso at Monaco?

Button

Button would be the first name that comes to mind, because he is their official reserve driver.

But would he have any interest or desire to participate in a single race in a hopeless car? He didn't quit F1 because nobody wanted him anymore, but because he didn't want to race in the back of the field after a long succesfull career.

So maybe McLaren will give one of their test drivers the place. As I read McLarens homepage Oliver Turkey would be first in line, if that was the case.

Button would be the obvious answer, given he's still under contract, and more so because he has a special liking for this track. Doubt he'll need a lot of convincing to do a one-off race there.

I can't really see this being anyone but Button, for McLaren there's simply no better option.

As for whether Button wants to do it, well he has a contract to be a 3rd driver doesn't he? Surely something about reserve driver duties would be written into that.

If Button is contracted to be a reserve driver then I would have thought he would have to train over the winter and be race fit, so provided that 3rd driver contract of his is what we would expect a 3rd driver contract to be, he will surely be in the car come Monaco.

Button must be curious to see what these new cars can do. Too bad he'll have to drive it in a phone booth at the principality.

It would be pretty weird if it's not Button. That's what he's still in the team for, right? And he would be (by far, in my opinion) the best driver available for the seat anyway.

If Button wants to or is contractually obliged to then it will be him.

It's a bit weird there has been no immediate announcement though as both those are pretty easy and not exactly time consuming for McLaren to find out.

Outlandish thought?
This man:

“I am not thinking of returning for now,” he told the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, “but it is not a closed chapter for me.
“It is now much more likely than it was two years ago,” Kubica added. “Perhaps one day my patience will be rewarded.
“I will not say anything until it is sure."

(Robert Kubica)
http://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/924 ... wec-season

TypingChicane wrote:Outlandish thought?
This man:

“I am not thinking of returning for now,” he told the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, “but it is not a closed chapter for me.
“It is now much more likely than it was two years ago,” Kubica added. “Perhaps one day my patience will be rewarded.
“I will not say anything until it is sure."

(Robert Kubica)
http://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/924 ... wec-season

He can't do Monaco unfortunately because of the limited movement he has. There are some tracks in F1 he can still do but this isn't one of them.

Would've been great though.

Of the drivers contracted to McLaren, only Button and Nyck de Vries qualify for a superlicense. They can't use Turvey, Matsushita, or Norris.

huggybear wrote:Of the drivers contracted to McLaren, only Button and Nyck de Vries qualify for a superlicense. They can't use Turvey, Matsushita, or Norris.

One name tweeted was Alex Rossi
But that does not look on now.

huggybear wrote:Of the drivers contracted to McLaren, only Button and Nyck de Vries qualify for a superlicense. They can't use Turvey, Matsushita, or Norris.

Button still has his Super License.

huggybear wrote:Of the drivers contracted to McLaren, only Button and Nyck de Vries qualify for a superlicense. They can't use Turvey, Matsushita, or Norris.

Are you sure about de Vries, I put him only on 30 Super License points?

I can't see past Button.

Nico Rosberg

Ha-ha re: Nico.

Button.

McLaren don't even have to confirm it... Button, of course. Not only because he's the reserve driver, but also because it's Monaco, he owns property there IIRC, like many of his colleagues.

Jenson might as well get in some early practice in these new cars for next year when he replaces the soon to flee Alonso​ ☺

Man... I guess I'll give it a crack if they get really desperate?

Blackhander wrote:Man... I guess I'll give it a crack if they get really desperate?

Just take it easy and hope for some standard Monaco chaos.... "And Blackhander crosses the line and collects McLaren-Honda's first points of the year..."

mikeyg123 wrote:Button

If it's (obviously) Button, why haven't the team already announced this?

UnlikeUday wrote:

mikeyg123 wrote:Button

If it's (obviously) Button, why haven't the team already announced this?

Because it's too obvious?

Honestly though, since Brown has come out and said they don't know who it will be that means he's considering someone who isn't Button. Maybe they're hoping to do a double publicity stunt by giving a one-off drive to some high profile driver from a different discipline (le Mans, maybe?) or maybe they're considering trying out a junior driver. I hope they're not thinking of a pay driver.

Still think it'll be Button when all is said and done.

jono794 wrote:Nico Rosberg

One driver who has actually raced these cars and would probably have nothing better to do is Giovanazzi?

Exediron wrote:

UnlikeUday wrote:

mikeyg123 wrote:Button

If it's (obviously) Button, why haven't the team already announced this?

Because it's too obvious?

Honestly though, since Brown has come out and said they don't know who it will be that means he's considering someone who isn't Button. Maybe they're hoping to do a double publicity stunt by giving a one-off drive to some high profile driver from a different discipline (le Mans, maybe?) or maybe they're considering trying out a junior driver. I hope they're not thinking of a pay driver.

Still think it'll be Button when all is said and done.

Nice idea but is Monaco the place to do that sort of thing? It's a unique discipline and hardly the ideal track to make a guest appearance driving a newly widened F1 car. Button is surely the only real candidate, and if not him then what the hell is under contract for?

Here's what I hope for..

Nico Rosberg drives the McLaren and easily wins the race and talks about how amazing the car is to drive post-race.. and then retires for good.

Invade wrote:Here's what I hope for..

Nico Rosberg drives the McLaren and easily wins the race and talks about how amazing the car is to drive post-race.. and then retires for good.

Or Hamilton gets stuck behind him for 40 laps, that would be gold!

Button tweeted yesterday "Why have I so many missed calls?"

The one and only... Pastor Maldanado!

ALESI wrote:

Invade wrote:Here's what I hope for..

Nico Rosberg drives the McLaren and easily wins the race and talks about how amazing the car is to drive post-race.. and then retires for good.

Or Hamilton gets stuck behind him for 40 laps, that would be gold!

Hamilton is in the lead and his team call him in for a dodgy pitstop and he loses the lead to Rosberg after the first stop, and hounds Rosberg for the rest of the rest before finally making a mistake on the final lap and dropping to 4th. Rosberg wins the race. Rumours start about Rosberg unretiring for 2018 to join... Ferrari alongside Vettel. Raikkonen retires but quickly unretires to join McLaren with Alonso having just announced his retirement from F1 and McLaren being desperate for a "reliable" pair of hands. McLaren builds the best car in 2018 and Raikkonen wins the WDC and retires. Alonso congratulates Kimi on social media. Upon being asked how it feels to win his second WDC, Kimi exclaims that "It is good."

If it for some reason isn't going to be Button, it would be obvious to give the chance to either on of their own test drivers ( http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/team/re ... t-drivers/ ) or a driver from McLarens Young Driver Programme ( http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/team/yo ... programme/ ).

What's the point of having a Young Driver Programme, if you give the seat to a reserve driver from another team, a promising DTM-driver or something like that?

The potential problem with a Superlicense can probably be solved. Quote from Wikipedia: "Under exceptional circumstances Appendix L also allows the FIA to award a Super Licence to a driver who does not meet the normal criteria if a vote reveals unanimous agreement by the members, and provided that the driver has completed 300 kilometers of testing at racing speeds in a current car."

Invade wrote:

ALESI wrote:

Invade wrote:Here's what I hope for..

Nico Rosberg drives the McLaren and easily wins the race and talks about how amazing the car is to drive post-race.. and then retires for good.

Or Hamilton gets stuck behind him for 40 laps, that would be gold!

Hamilton is in the lead and his team call him in for a dodgy pitstop and he loses the lead to Rosberg after the first stop, and hounds Rosberg for the rest of the rest before finally making a mistake on the final lap and dropping to 4th. Rosberg wins the race. Rumours start about Rosberg unretiring for 2018 to join... Ferrari alongside Vettel. Raikkonen retires but quickly unretires to join McLaren with Alonso having just announced his retirement from F1 and McLaren being desperate for a "reliable" pair of hands. McLaren builds the best car in 2018 and Raikkonen wins the WDC and retires. Alonso congratulates Kimi on social media. Upon being asked how it feels to win his second WDC, Kimi exclaims that "It is good."

Is Narain Karthikeyan still available?

pokerman wrote:

huggybear wrote:Of the drivers contracted to McLaren, only Button and Nyck de Vries qualify for a superlicense. They can't use Turvey, Matsushita, or Norris.

Are you sure about de Vries, I put him only on 30 Super License points?

He doubled up in two FRenault series in 2014 and won them both. Unless they don't count that as double?

moby wrote:

huggybear wrote:Of the drivers contracted to McLaren, only Button and Nyck de Vries qualify for a superlicense. They can't use Turvey, Matsushita, or Norris.

One name tweeted was Alex Rossi
But that does not look on now.

Considering why McLaren have an open seat at Monaco, whoever tweeted Alex Rossi's name as a replacement is an idiot.

What are the requirements, in terms of samurainess?

Button's the man and I hope he takes up the offer

Colesy917 wrote:

Blackhander wrote:Man... I guess I'll give it a crack if they get really desperate?

Just take it easy and hope for some standard Monaco chaos.... "And Blackhander crosses the line and collects McLaren-Honda's first points of the year..."

Haha that or I'll teach even maldonado a thing or two about crashing