- McLaren
McLaren happy to wait on driver decision
McLaren is in no rush to make a decision on its driver line-up for 2015, with Ron Dennis waiting until it is clear who is available.
Rumours that McLaren is courting Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel have been rife in the paddock, but both the team and drivers have played down the situation. Dennis said he is not expecting to make a decision any time soon but that it would come before the end of the season.
"It's certainly not days, it's certainly before the end of the season," he said. "We don't have any necessity to take a decision, we've said nothing that should be construed as anything other than 'we're waiting to see what's available'. In the meantime I am a huge fan of both Kevin and Jenson - Kevin has done an amazing job.
"We always have the best available drivers. So the first thing you have to establish, before you have any process of selection - and is not derogatory, detrimental or negative to your existing drivers - is who is available. No-one could have predicted the tension inside Mercedes-Benz, and I didn't say the things that have been said by the executives or drivers, but we can all imagine a range of scenarios that could see one of those drivers on the market by the end of the year.
"That does not mean we would automatically reach for that driver, or any other driver, in preference to what you have. What it means is you are trying to understand what is available, and then you take a decision, and maybe that decision is not to change. That's because stability, as we go into the relationship with Honda, and in-depth understanding of the entire plan, has a huge value, and loyalty is very important to me too."
Dennis said any pressure on the current drivers is coming from the media and not the team, and that he has apologised to Jenson Button for not being able to silence the questions.
"We are delighted with our drivers, and I apologised to Jenson for the distracting elements of where we are at the moment. But we've always tried to understand driver availability, and at this moment there is no decision to take. When there is we will take it, but I've given you an indication - it won't be in the next few days, and it won't be at the end of the season, it will be something in between."
Asked if McLaren's new engine supplier for 2015, Honda, would be involved in the decision, Dennis added: "We would not, for one minute, not involve them in the decision, but the decision is ours."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
