Eric Boullier admits McLaren "intends" to retain Jenson Button for 2016 and is considering loaning junior drivers Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne to another team on the grid.
Button's future at McLaren is now the main focus of the driver market, with the team yet to take up the option on the 2009 world champion's contract for next season. McLaren's decision has been made harder by the presence of Kevin Magnussen, who was dropped for Fernando Alonso ahead of this season, and GP2 series leader Stoffel Vandoorne.
McLaren's racing director Eric Boullier says McLaren currently intends to keep Button alongside Alonso, who has a three-year deal, though no final decision has been made.
"As far as we are concerned, McLaren-Honda, we have only two cars so there will be only two race seats," Boullier said. "We have two world champions and we do intend to keep them so far."
Keeping Button would have obvious ramifications for Magnussen, who has already spent this current season on the sidelines, and Vandoorne and their ambitions of racing in 2016. Honda does not have a 'B-team' on the grid for either man to go but Boullier hints at plans being formed to accommodate both drivers in Formula One next season.
""Obviously we expect the four of them to race [in 2016] ... It's a luxury driver to have four good drivers. Stoffel and Kevin are very good drivers. Both of them we expect to be in Formula One and if we cannot accommodate them at home we will do our best to make sure they can race next year."