According to an Italian newspaper, McLaren has signed a contract with Stoffel Vandoorne for the 2016. This driver lineup change would leave Jenson Button without a seat for the 2016 season. Various other news sources have confirmed this signing and claim that the team will announce the contract at the Belgian Grand Prix. We saw a similar report from a different Italian publication a few weeks ago, reporting that Valtteri Bottas would be moving to Ferrari. The Bottas rumors were proven to be false, so can we trust this lineup rumor? Racing Clothesline has the answer.
It is logical to believe that Vandoorne would be joining the team, as he has been the team’s test driver for two consecutive seasons. His racing talent has been proven. He won his first professional championship in 2010, bringing home the F4 Eurocup 1.6 series title. He also won the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series championship two years later and is currently leading the GP2 season, having finished runner up last year. And at the age of 35, Button is steadily creeping closer to the retirement age, meaning that the team will soon need to find a replacement.
As with most driver lineup rumors, this rumor is not accurate. A spokesman for McLaren told Racing Clothesline, “The reports are inaccurate. No driver announcement will be made at Spa. On the contrary, we will discuss, decide and announce our 2016 driver line-up when the time is right.”
By no means does this mean that this driver lineup is out of the picture for the near future. It simply means that, as of right now, no contract has been signed. There is still no word on whether Jenson Button will be in the McLaren next season or even in Formula One at all. It appears as though we are going to have to wait until later in the season to find out for sure.
