McLaren’s chief operating officer, Jonathan Neale, has hinted that Jenson Button has decided to retire from Formula 1 at the end of the season, but says discussions are ongoing with the team keen to convince him to stay.
The Briton recently said the sport was giving him no “joy” due to McLaren’s difficult situation which has seen them score in just three races so far this season.
When asked if he’d come to a decision with regards his future, Button recently said: “There is no more information to give you”, but added that he was having “good talks” with the team.
Neale meanwhile is hoping the team, which holds an option on his services, can convince Button to stay.
“There’s a lot of discussion about where Jenson is at,” he said in Japan.
“He is a fantastic guy, a World Champion, and a big part of our family at Honda and McLaren.
“We are contracted with him, we want him to stay and we like him very much, but if you are a driver who doesn’t really want to be in a seat, then you have to respect that.
“I really hope we have done enough between us to continue those discussions with him and have the confidence to have him with us. That is what we would like.”
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