I believe the rapidly-improving McLaren-Honda team is in a large dilemma. With just two seats available for 2016 and a roster of drivers within the McLaren family which greatly exceeds that number, it is clear that some drivers will be left disappointed as Kevin Magnussen has been this season. Two World Champions, a former driver and some of their junior drivers are just a few names being thrown into the ring for what could be a very good seat to have in 2016. I take a look at the options for the McLaren-Honda 2016 drivers.
Fernando Alonso
Two-time champion Alonso has made it clear that he has returned to the team which he so famously fell out with for the long-term. He supposedly has two years left on his contract after this season and seems happy with the team for now despite spending more times achieving mechanical problems than points at the moment. I’d be very surprised to see Alonso leave again after just one season.
Jenson Button
Button made it clear a few seasons ago that he would like to make it to 300 Grand Prix before bowing out of F1. As it stands, he would achieve this towards the end of the 2016 season. So I am sure that he would like to stay in F1 long enough to do just that. Whilst he has matched, if not, beaten, Alonso in qualifying, he has not quite been as strong in the races, and this may be something which may hurt Button come the end of the season.
Kevin Magnussen
Despite one appearance where he did not even start the race, Magnussen has spent much of this season on the sidelines when he really should be racing. This substitution for Alonso supposedly cost Magnussen an IndyCar seat which would have done the young Dane a lot of good given the quality of the cars and the field there. After being harshly axed last year, being left on the sidelines again could prove very costly to his career. The guy needs to be in something quick, and soon.
Stoffel Vandoorne
Arguably higher up on the priority list is Stoffel Vandoorne, who has been nothing short of sensational in GP2 over the last season and a bit. Vandoorne has won each of the last four feature races in the hotly-contested category, and has a record six consecutive pole positions to his name, and could well beat the race win record set by Pastor Maldonado in half the time. He has also finished each of the last 19 races bar one inside the top 10, and has won six of them. The statistics and the performances speak volumes here, and it would be criminal to not see the Belgian in a F1 car for 2016.
Nyck de Vries
The Dutch driver has set a target of being at McLaren by 2019. Whilst his Formula Renault 3.5 series debut season has included a mixture of controversy, strong pace and a few off days, a strong charge later in the season could see him take the title there. From there, F1 would be a logical step, but with McLaren appearing to not be so keen on running their drivers in other teams right now, could they stick de Vries in one of their cars three years before the guy himself expects to be in one?
Others
You don’t have to look too far down the F1 grid to find some hot talent which could be on Ron Dennis’ radar. Valtteri Bottas is as it stands out of the job for next season, as is Kimi Räikkönen. Nico Hülkenberg is not enjoying a strong run of form at Force India and still feels that a top F1 seat is possible despite flirting with Porsche. Brazilian Felipe Nasr has impressed many with his drives at Sauber and could well be on the radar too.
In my ideal world, McLaren would have taken Magnussen and Vandoorne for this season already, let alone for next season. Leaving these two out of a seat at a top category could prove very costly to their careers and to McLaren considering the resources which they have put into their development so far. However, the lure of having two World Champions at the team could just be too much for the team and the power unit manufacturer Honda to let go of either of them.
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