Official: Alonso and Button confirmed as McLaren-Honda drivers in 2015

The wait was long, but the announcement finally came today regarding the lineup of drivers who will race for McLaren in 2015.

Fernando Alonso was more or less already announced within the British team since his departure from Ferrari. It is now official, the Spaniard will make his grand return to McLaren after his failed stint in 2007, which ended with a third place in the World Drivers’ Championship and a deep misunderstanding with his then teammate, Lewis Hamilton, and his boss, Ron Dennis.

Since then, water has flowed under the bridges, and the double world champion will have in his hands the destiny of Honda’s return to Formula 1. While regular victories may be hard to achieve in the first year, Alonso and McLaren aim to fight for the championship title in the very near future. The Spaniard is eager to make people forget his failure with Ferrari.

After long negotiations, Jenson Button has been chosen to support Alonso next year. Ron Dennis, who would have preferred to bet on the youth of Kevin Magnussen, had to side with the British support camp, including Honda, for whom the 2009 world champion raced for six years, first with the BAR team and then with the official Japanese team.

Button is about to start his sixth consecutive year with McLaren, and his impressive 2014 season surely allowed him to keep his seat for 2015.

This pair of drivers will be the most experienced on the grid, with Alonso and Button having a combined total of 490 Grand Prix. This experience will be valuable to Honda in the development of its brand new hybrid power unit.

The Danish driver Kevin Magnussen, sidelined, goes from being a regular driver to a reserve role responsible for testing during the season.