Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds says he hopes Jenson Button remains in Formula 1 next season and has hinted that he would be welcome at Williams, amid speculation the experienced Briton could return to the team he began his F1 career with.
The 36-year-old is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid with 294 race starts, but it's looking likely that he won't have a seat at McLaren next year as the Woking team looks to promote third driver Stoffel Vandoorne alongside the already contracted Fernando Alonso.
Speculation that Button, who insists he doesn't want to retire just yet, could rejoin Williams has grown recently, with Symonds describing him as a "very strong" driver.
"I think Jenson’s a great driver and of course he started his career at Williams, so there’s quite a lot of affection for him," he said.
"As a person, I regard him as someone I have been friendly with for many years. He drove for us at Benetton when I was there, he’s a great driver, he’s still showing to be very strong.
"I hope that he’s in Formula One next year, whether it be with Williams or elsewhere."
Meanwhile, Felipe Massa has added fire to the rumours, saying he is confident he will remain in F1 but "maybe with a another team".
"I am confident, definitely," he said on Friday. "I think everybody knows what I am able to do, what I am able to achieve as a driver, experience inside the team, so I'm really hopeful that things can go in the right direction.
"The Plan A is to stay in a top team, in a good team like Williams, or maybe another team. I think time will be the right answer."
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