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Jenson Button could be forced to retire from Formula One at the end of the season. Now in his fifth year with McLaren, and his 15th year overall in F1, Button is in limbo as the team mull over their driver line-up for 2015.Aged 34, and with 259 career starts behind him, Button appreciates the remaining seven races of the season may be his last.

Speaking to the BBC, the 2009 world champion said: “We haven’t sat down and talked about it. If I have to retire at the end of the season then so be it but I feel I have so much more to give and I can’t imagine life without motorsport and especially Formula One.”

With the support of Honda as power-unit supplier, it is understood the Japanese manufacturing giant are looking for a big name to spearhead their return to the sport following a seven-year hiatus.

Fernando Alonso is believed to be top of their wanted list, however, the Spaniard is contracted to Ferrari to the end of the 2016 season.

While money is no object to Honda, it would cost £40m alone for Alonso to be bought out of the remaining two years of his deal with Ferrari, even if they are willing to let the Spaniard go. That is before negotiations could start with Alonso on a return to McLaren following an ignominious campaign in 2007 following a dramatic fallout with then team principal Ron Dennis. The row resulted in Alonso departing McLaren at the end of the first year of a three-season contract.

With numerous obstacles for McLaren and Honda to clear should Alonso be targeted, it leaves Button staring at the prospect of an exit. — BBC Sport