Jenson Button: 'I asked my dogs' for permission to return to F1

24 May 2017 06:10

A joking Jenson Button has claimed he asked permission from his pet dogs before agreeing to make his Formula One comeback at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Button, a veteran of 305 races, was back in the paddock for the first time on Wednesday after he seemingly ended his driving career at last November's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The 37-year-old Englishman is replacing Fernando Alonso at McLaren here in Monte Carlo with the Spanish two-time champion preparing to tackle the Indianapolis 500.

Button signed a two-year ambassadorial role with McLaren, and would have been at the principality representing the British team even if Alonso had been racing.

But the smiling Briton said he sought approval from Storm and Rogue - the Pomsky dogs he shares with his model girlfriend Brittny Ward - before accepting McLaren's SOS call.

"I asked my dogs and they said, 'We can do without you for a week or so', Button joked. "My girlfriend said, 'You gotta do what you do' and I said yes, and it was my decision.

"I could have said no if I wanted to, as we all can. No one wants a racing driver who doesn't want to drive.

"I'm still an ambassador for the team, some might say a third driver and this weekend I've got the opportunity to race the car.

"I was going to be here anyway and instead of sitting around drinking champagne I can actually do what I'm supposed to do and that's race cars for a living."

McLaren have endured a miserable start to the new season and are rooted to the foot of the constructors' championship having failed to score a single point this season.

Indeed Alonso, who qualified an impressive fifth ahead of his rookie appearance at the Indy 500 on Sunday, failed to finish the opening four rounds of the year before crossing the line in 12th at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this month.

But Button, who will be given his first taste of the this year's McLaren when he takes to the narrow confines of the Monte Carlo street circuit in practice on Thursday, insists he is not feeling any extra burden.

Asked if he was under pressure to score McLaren's first points of the campaign, Button replied: "Definitely not. I'm very relaxed and very excited, actually.

"It's interesting coming back for one grand prix. It being Monaco it's very special. I've won here before, I've lived here for 17 years, and I've had some really good experiences. It's exciting, but I don't feel any pressure. None at all.

"I will obviously get in the car and I will do the best job I can. That's what I'm here to do and everything I do in life is the same.

"You want to be competitive, you want to get the best out of yourself and you want to get the best out of the equipment and the team that you are working with. That hasn't changed."

Source: PA