Honda will utilise Button 'much more' in 2017

40

Honda will be able to utilise Jenson Button "much more next year" as a result of the 35-year-old not racing for McLaren.

Button announced in Monza he will take a year off racing in F1 as he needs a break, but will remain an ambassador for the team and could return to a race seat in 2018. As Button used to race for Honda when it was a constructor in the sport, the Japanese manufacturer's head of F1 project Yusuke Hasegawa says he is pleased the 2009 world champion has been retained in some capacity.

COMMENT: McLaren's 2017 driver line-up: A stroke of genius?

"For Honda, Jenson is a very special driver," Hasegawa said. "I was working with him more than eight years. And Jenson has so many Japanese fans. But one day, we have to accept he’s not racing.

"[Monza] was not retirement. Next year we have to accept he’s not the regular driver. But I’m very happy still we can have a connection with Jenson and we expect to have more chance to work with him not only at the race, on development and marketing. We can utilise Jenson much more than this year. "

And Hasegawa says he supports McLaren's move to promote reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne in Button's place, having been impressed by the Belgian's progress so far as he currently competes in Super Formula in Japan..

"Stoffel already showed his ability in Bahrain, in the GP2 races last year, it’s exciting to have a young driver. It’s a very good combination.

"In the first race [in Super Formula] he got a podium. It is incredible. He is not just a talent. He’s very calm and very clever. Sometimes we misunderstand that."

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS: Monza

COMMENT: Why Bernie staying could mean more chance of change in F1

Scene at the Italian Grand Prix

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.