MONZA, Italy -- Ron Dennis insists Jenson Button's Formula One career is far from over despite Saturday's announcement he is being replaced by Stoffel Vandoorne in 2017.
Button has taken on a stand-by role at McLaren for next year, where he will act as reserve driver to Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso. His new deal includes 2018, where Button can return to a race seat if both parties agree to it, but is mainly comprised of extensive sim and development work next year.
Dennis believes the deal gives Button, the grid's most experienced driver, time to refocus his energy while still contributing in a big way to the McLaren-Honda project.
"To avoid any confusion, forget the word retirement," Dennis said. "That's not in the vocabulary, that isn't what we're saying. Jenson is one of the team's drivers for the next two years. If Jenson's needed to drive next year for any reason, he will drive.
"So what does that mean? It means that you've got a super-fit guy, there's absolutely no question when you look at the races, you look at qualifying and everything that Jenson is more than capable of winning grands prix and winning world championships right now. But it's not the physical, it's the mental side. Not a lack of determination to win but just the constant grind of being in Formula One."
Dennis says he and Button agreed on the new role together and thinks the 2009 world champion has the best of both worlds as he has a written agreement which could lead to a future drive.
"We talked and actually it's a very, very practical and logical solution. Let Jenson get his mind balanced and re-established and relaxed and then look at the future. The subtle difference between those drivers who have gone before and taken a year off -- the Prosts, Raikkonens, other drivers -- they never had a contract.
"They went away and they came back but they never had a contract like this one. So it's a very creative, imaginative contract which works so well for both of us. He's smiling, and when we were talking about it it was an up and down, emotional conversation. This is something that is supported at all levels of our organisation and also with Honda. We think it's a perfect solution for the circumstances that exist within our team at the moment."