"I don't want to be racing if I'm just making up the numbers," says 36-year-old as he opens up to Sky Sports on future in F1
Wednesday 13 July 2016 15:47, UK
Jenson Button is open to staying in Formula 1 until 2018 but insists he will only extend his career if he has a car which is capable of challenging for race victories.
Button is in his 16th year in the sport but has told Sky Sports that it is time to start thinking about his future yet again, with his McLaren contract expiring at the end of this season.
Stoffel Vandoorne is primed to replace the Brit if the Woking team decline to offer him a new deal, while Williams are interested in offering the 2009 world champion an F1 lifeline.
"There is no sportsman who would want to continue in a sport if he couldn't challenge, or he didn't have a new project that he felt could help him get a victory in the future," Button told Sky Sports News HQ's Craig Slater.
"It's obviously getting to the point now where I need to start thinking about my future, which is a shame because it's only July, but it seems that people are impatient and want to know as soon as possible.
"If I feel I can be in Formula 1 and be in a competitive car and be close to podiums or fight for podiums, that's exciting. Then, if I feel that with my input I can possibly be in Formula 1 the following year, and then have a chance of winning - then yes, of course I want to be here."
When is the British GP on Sky?
But Button is adamant he will not remain in F1 simply for the sake of extending his career.
"If I don't see results around the corner, I don't want to be racing because the love's gone, because I can't fight for those positions - and that's what I'm here to do - so I'll go and do something else. I'm 36, I've got my whole life ahead of me, which is really exciting. There are so many other things in motor racing, in other sports... there's so much I want to do in life. So I only want to be racing next year if I feel I'm in a competitive car.
"Personally, I will always give it my all when I race a Formula 1 car. I'm not a driver who drivers half-heartedly. It has to be all or nothing and that's what I want next year."
Button has endured a painful decline in his results over the past few years, largely due to McLaren's slump in form. He last stepped onto the podium when he won the season-ending Brazilian GP in 2012 - a streak which now stretches to 66 races.
"I don't want to be racing if I'm just making up the numbers," he explained to Sky F1. "To be fair, last year felt like that, but it was part of a project. It was an exciting project and it's still moving forward.
"But I don't want to be outside of a podium finish next year. If I'm racing next year, I want to be fighting for podiums and if this team [McLaren] gives me that opportunity, I'll obviously be here.
"But that's the aim, because if you can fight for podiums one year, with a bit of input and a bit of help you might be able to fight for wins the next year."
While he hasn't got close to a podium finish this year, Button proved his class at the Austrian GP, finishing sixth in the Honda-powered MP4-31. He now trails team-mate Fernando Alonso by just five points in the standings.
"I don't want to big myself up, but I'm happy with what I've achieved this year," Button added. "I have a team-mate who is regarded as one of the best drivers who ever drove an F1 car and, yes, I feel I've done a good job this year - and loved every second of it.
"We're not racing at the front but you're still racing against that guy and you're still seeing improvements as you get closer to the front. That is a massive buzz."
