Talk regarding Button's future is 'all guesswork'

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Jenson Button says talk regarding his future in F1 is "all guesswork" as he has yet to make his own mind up on what he wants to do.

The 2009 world champion is out of contract at McLaren at the end of the season and the team has said it won't open discussions with its drivers until after the summer break, with Stoffel Vandoorne waiting in the wings. Button has been linked with a move to Williams in 2017 but he says nothing concrete will be put in place for a few months.

"It's all guesswork because nobody has a clue what is going on," Button told Sky Sports. "Not until I've made my mind up on what l do for next year. The team have already said we're not going to discuss anything until September, so I don't know why there's such speculation.

"We'll see then. For now, just trying to enjoy the racing. Hungary will hopefully be better and we can fight for some points."

When it was suggested he doesn't look like a driver ready to leave F1, Button replied: "At this moment in time, no. But we'll see in a few months and then I'll make a decision."

And the 36-year-old says McLaren needs to "take a good step" next season to reach the level he wants from a team if he is to remain in F1.

"I want to be fighting for podiums. I've put a lot of hard work in here over the last few years with the new [Honda] partnership. It's been a really exciting project to be fair, having an input and knowing that you're making a difference on the aerodynamic side, but also on the engine side.

"But we need to take a good step for next year to be competitive - and if I'm going to be racing in F1 next year that's what I want and what I need."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.