McLaren was "in complete meltdown" on Sunday as Chair & CEO Ron Dennis insisted that Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso "would stay for next season, only for both drivers to flatly contradict their team boss," according to Daniel Johnson of the London TELEGRAPH. Despite Dennis' "unequivocal declarations, and his belief that he has persuaded Button to perform a dramatic U-turn on his decision to retire, it is conceivable that both the 35-year-old and Alonso could leave the team at the end of the year." It "would be a humiliating blow which would further damage McLaren’s relationship with sponsors -- what sponsors they still have -- as well as Dennis’s position with his fellow shareholders." But Dennis claimed that "he had prompted a last-minute change of heart by calling Button." Button said, "There’s been a lot going on. It’s not been straightforward, as it might seem from other people’s comments." Button "then refused to confirm Dennis’s assertion that he would be racing for McLaren next year." The McLaren boss "also stated unequivocally that Alonso will be driving for the team in 2016." But both his drivers "were not singing from the same muddled hymn sheet." Just as Dennis was claiming Alonso would stay, the two-time world champion -- "by far the most mischievous, troublesome driver in the sport -- said simultaneously that his future is unclear" (TELEGRAPH, 9/27).
