» McLaren delays 2015 line-up announcement

McLaren has confirmed it will delay the announcement of its drivers until “after December 1”.

This would suggest that either the team is still deciding on its 2015 line-up. or that it has decided and wants to make the announcement out of the spotlight of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend – the former is considered the more likely scenario.

Button looks set to be without a drive in 2015.

In the meantime, the team has begun clearing the decks for its switch to Honda power in 2015 by confirming that its long association with reserve driver Gary Paffett has come to an end.

The Englishman has been part of McLaren’s test and reserve line-up for the past eight years, dovetailing his occasional F1 test outings with a full-time campaign in the German DTM championship as a factor Mercedes-Benz driver.

With the Woking squad ending its 20-year partnership with the German manufacturer, the relationship no longer fitted.

Fernando Alonso is expected to be confirmed alongside Kevin Magnussen (pictured above) next year, leaving 2009 World Champion Jenson Button without a drive.

While the team may have elected to delay announcing its highly anticipated deal with Alonso, that won’t stop Button from potentially confirming his 2015 whereabouts at Yas Marina this weekend.

Images via XPB Images