McLaren COO Jonathan Neale has hit back at claims that Jenson Button is not fully committed to his one-off F1 return at Monaco.
The 2009 world champion and McLaren Ambassador remains contracted to the Woking-based outfit and his services have been called upon to replace Fernando Alonso at Monaco, which takes place on the same weekend as the Spaniard's Indy 500 bid.
Button's decision not to test the team's new-spec MCL32 in Bahrain at the end of April had many paddock pundits puzzled, and ultimately doubting the Brit's motivation.
Along them, former F1 driver Mark Webber suggested that the 37-year-old was actually "not very interested" in his one-off return.
But Neale says that a comprehensive preparation program catering to Button's needs has been underway at the McLaren Technology Center.
"I think Jenson is certainly putting time in behind the scenes to prepare well for it," Neale told Motorpsort.com.
"He's done multiple sessions in the simulator, just doing the one track. And also just familiarising himself with the car, the tyres, the power unit, the balance, and the braking performance.
"I think he's got his head in for this race, without a shadow of a doubt.
"Monaco is perhaps one of those circuits where the driver contribution matters proportionately more than on other circuits, he knows it well, he's been very successful there, and he's a good racer.
"It's Monaco, anything could happen, but you nudge the odds in your favour by being well-prepared and putting World Champions in the car."
There's no denying that Button will be up to the task physically given his incessant focus on his personal training as a daily routine, even away from racing.
Neale therefore believes that Button's lack of activity behind the wheel is a non-issue.
"Jenson is a competitive guy, whether it's running, cycling, swimming, motor racing, he wants to be competitive.
"I think he's worked incredibly hard, and the drivers sacrifice a lot through their young years, so why would he not be enjoying some of the things he wants to do on his agenda?
"At the end of the day he's still a racer at heart, and it will be nice to have him back."
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