McLaren boss Ron Dennis believes Jenson Button's performances will improve now his future is sorted for the next two years.
Button was out of contract at the end of this season but announced during the Italian Grand Prix weekend he will take a year off racing while remaining an ambassador and reserve driver for McLaren. The team then holds an option over Button for 2018, when he could return to a race seat.
Although Button says he requires a break, Dennis says the lack of doubt over his future will allow the 2009 world champion to perform even better than he has been so far this season.
“Anybody that’s thinking about the future and has indecision can’t 100% focus on going motor racing," Dennis said. "So my personal belief is that Jenson will be even better at the remaining races than at the races to date.
"I’m not saying in any shape or form he hasn’t done a great job, but I can tell you any distraction when you’re trying to be the best you can be is a distraction. So my experience in the past is once a driver knows what his plan is he will actually raise his game, not consciously but subconsciously and I really expect Jenson to have a great end of season.
"There’s no hiding the fact that we aren’t where we need to be in some aspects of the performance of the car, but in the remaining circuits we should be much, much better. [Monza] is a circuit that really highlights aspects of the car that are weak on our car at the moment.”
Button is currently 15th in the drivers' championship with 17 points, compared to 30 scored by team-mate Fernando Alonso so far this season. He finished 12th in the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, having been last at the end of the opening lap and staging an impressive recovery drive.
Scene at the Italian Grand Prix
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2016 Italian Grand Prix - Quotes of the week
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