McLaren board meeting fails to decide

Ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi, McLaren announced that no decision would be made on their 2015 driver line-up until December.

It’s widely known that former two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso will be re-joining the team from Ferrari.

His place at Ferrari has already been filled by former four-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel, with the German already completing some test miles for Ferrari in an old 2012 car.

But whilst Alonso is set to join McLaren in one of the biggest deals in Formula One history, the decision over who will be his team-mate has severely delayed the announcement.

Rumour in the paddock was that Kevin Magnussen would partner Alonso at McLaren.

At 22-year-old Magnussen is 12 years Jenson Button’s junior. So with a view on the years to come, Magnussen was clearly the favourite.

But whilst Magnussen has done well in his debut season, when it really matters on a Sunday, Button has shown why he is one of the greats and a former world champion himself.

Button in fact beat Magnussen by 71 points in the drivers championship.

Button’s points aided McLaren to finish ahead of Force India in the Constructors World Championship, something that would have been worth tens of millions to the team.

That end of season form has split the McLaren board and following a meeting on Thursday a McLaren spokesperson said: ‘The board meeting has concluded and no decision has been taken with regard our 2015 driver line-up,’

Speaking to Sky Sports Jenson Button said: ‘I don?t know when we will all find out, I think for all of our sakes it is better sooner rather than later. I am here with Kevin as well and we have spent the last couple of days together and we?ve had some interesting conversations. Whatever way it goes it is better that we know sooner rather than later.’

It was thought that McLaren chairman Ron Dennis would be the one to make the decision, but he is now at loggerheads with Saudi businessman Mansour Ojjeh.

Dennis and Ojjeh each own 25% shares in McLaren with Bahraini royal family’s Mumtalakat investment group owning the remaining 50%.