McLaren: Running Button at Bahrain test "will not be useful"

McLaren has explained the decision not to run Jenson Button during next week's Bahrain test despite him being named as Fernando Alonso's replacement at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Button's return to Formula 1 was confirmed on Friday, with the 2009 world champion replacing Indy 500-bound Alonso at Monaco in May. Despite the 37-year-old having yet to test the 2017 car, McLaren has decided against using him in Bahrain next week, with racing director Eric Boullier saying it was a joint decision.

"It's very simple," Boullier said. "We discussed this at length together and Jenson obviously spent 17 years racing in Formula 1, he actually drove the kind of level of downforce we have today. Going through the differences on the technicality to drive this car, we agreed the track layout here or even doing any running in practice in Barcelona will not be very useful.

"He's fit, he's ready and having Oliver Turvey next week is part of fine-tuning the correlation with our simulator. Our simulator in the MTC [McLaren Technology Centre] is very accurate now, and we both believe it is better for him to spend a couple of days in the simulator driving this car model straight into Monaco.

"It's true that the best training will be having him in the car on Thursday, but you don't have big G in Monaco so that is something also easier to handle. I guess he's fit enough, his neck will be fine."

Asked by RACER if Button has driven the car in the simulator already this year, Boullier replied: "I think he did some.

"Not much but a couple of days. He got a test of the car and when he comes next week to MTC, it will be a proper job."

With Boullier adding "I can guarantee you by lap 10 of practice one he will be OK," the Frenchman also revealed Button did not take much persuading to return to the cockpit this year.

"I rang him, we just discussed it and his first reaction was: 'Great, I'm so excited!' It was an easy discussion to be honest, very straightforward. He was the choice, he had a contract with us anyway, but you could feel his excitement over the phone was real and I'm happy that he will be part of this adventure."