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Jenson Button expected to announce F1 retirement

One of the biggest question marks looming over the Formula One paddock has been over what will become of Jenson Button. The former world champion has struggled to perform of late, and as one of the oldest drivers on the grid, is nearing the end of his career. And according to the Daily Telegraph, he's about to announce his retirement. Button has been on the grid every season since his debut with Williams in 2000. But as his current team McLaren has fallen off pace, so has Button – particularly as both struggle to work out the kinks in the new Honda engine package. And unlike Benjamin Button, he's not getting any younger. With the benefit of his own considerable experience, Button won out over his previous teammate Kevin Magnussen to keep his race seat after Fernando Alonso arrived in Woking. But while he's enjoyed Honda's support, team principal Ron Dennis has reportedly turned sour on Button's staying with the team, preferring to promote a younger driver in Button's place. Rather than leave it up to the team to decide, however – or seeking a drive with another team – word has it that Jenson is preparing to go out on his own terms, and is set to announce his retirement at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. Button's departure would leave two questions open: For one, what will he do next? And for another, who will McLaren hire to fill his racing shoes? For Jenson's part, he could end up combining a drive at Le Mans with a television career. He's been linked to talks with Porsche, where other experienced F1 drivers like Mark Webber and Nico Hulkenberg have found success. But sources also point towards a potential Rallycross drive, and we wouldn't be terribly surprised to see him compete in GT racing for McLaren or the Super GT series for Honda. Affable and skilled in working behind the camera, Button has also been linked with potentially joining Chris Evans on the new cast of a rebooted Top Gear. As for McLaren, it has two emerging talents in reserve. One is the aforementioned Danish driver Kevin Magnussen, who raced for the team last season but was told to wait in the wings. After winning the pivotal Formula Renault 3.5 title in 2013, Magnussen impressed with a second-place finish on his F1 race debut in Australia last year. He could, however, accept a race seat with another team for next season rather than wait (as Button had to) for McLaren to make its decision.

McLaren MP4-30 marks Honda's hotly anticipated F1 return

McLaren's Formula One fortunes have drastically dropped in performance over the past couple of seasons. The Formula One team with a dozen Drivers' Championships, eight Constructors' Titles and 182 grand prix victories to its name hasn't won a race since 2012, and finished the past two seasons down in fifth place. But now it begins a new era – or rather, restarts one. And this is the machine that's kicking it all off. After a 23-year parting of ways, McLaren has brought Honda back onto the grid for this season, and will be the only team running the Japanese automaker's brand-new RA615H turbocharged hybrid power unit. Both parties are undoubtedly hoping the rekindled partnership will bring them back to the winning days of the late Eighties when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost memorably drove their equipment to four consecutive World Championships. Largely an evolution of last season's Mercedes-powered MP4-29, the new chassis features a new front-end design to comply with the latest adjustment to the regulations from the FIA, and also incorporates a slimmer rear end built around the new Honda engine and gearbox. It also features a revised livery that adds more black to the red and silver color scheme, and does without a title partner for the time being, but includes the logos of sponsors Mobil1, SAP, TAG Heuer, Johnnie Walker, Hilton, CNN and KPMG, as well as that of Honda. Though this season will likely be more of a transition and development year for McLaren and Honda, all eyes will surely be fixed on the team to see how the new MP4-30 will fare. Fortunately, they've lined up a compelling roster of drivers, lead by former World Champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. McLAREN-HONDA BEGINS NEW ERA WITH MP4-30 #McLarenHonda #MakeHistory McLaren-Honda – the name evokes stirring memories of the past; of Ayrton Senna battling Alain Prost for supremacy; of classic red and white machines dominating for season upon season; of an iconic team writing one of the defining chapters in the motor racing history books. Reuniting such an illustrious partnership brings with it the heavy weight of expectation, but all at McLaren and Honda are working to write a fresh chapter in Formula 1, one that respectfully nods to the past, but boldly looks to the horizon. Today's reveal of the new McLaren-Honda MP4-30 – McLaren's first Honda-powered car for 23 years – speaks volumes about the progressive nature of both companies.

McLaren 650S replacement spotted at LAX and in Spain

With the McLaren 650S quickly approaching its fourth birthday, the British automaker is hard at work on putting its successor on the road by 2018. The replacement to McLaren's entry in its Super Series lineup wasn't expected to arrive until 2017 with a debut slated for the Geneva Motor Show. The latest spy shots of the new model, which is codenamed P14, testing in Spain reveals that the supercar is well underway. The undisguised prototype displays a radical design change from the rest of McLaren's lineup, which has been criticized for its ubiquity. The front of the spied prototype features McLaren's iconic rounded nose, but has numerous aerodynamic touches. The hood, which is similar to the one found on the McLaren 570S, has two triangular scoops, while slender LED headlights mimic the ones found on the P1. There are two large vents at the bottom of the front end, which will surely aid the supercar in creating a massive amount of downforce. Along the side, the P14 prototype features angular lines with a duct at the front of the door, which is a change from the rest of its supercars that have a large duct towards the rear of the vehicle. The prototype is wearing similar wheels to ones found on the McLaren P1, as well. At the back, the P14 still features centrally-positioned exhaust tips, but are round instead of the square-like ones on the 650S. The engine cover has been redesigned and looks similar to that of the P1's, while the entire rear ditches the 650S' square-like rear end for a more curvy design. The taillights share a similar design to single LED units found on the 570S and P1. The large panel gaps towards the top of the rear end also have us thinking that the supercar will have some sort of active aero. Autoblog reader Nicholas Haggard also sent in a couple of photos of the prototype at Los Angeles International Airport. That prototype, which was heavily camouflaged wore a different set of rims that matched the ones found on the 650S. The sleek front end and profile of the prototype has us believing that it's identical to the one that was testing in Spain. While the P14's design is supposed to be a large deviation from McLaren's lineup, it looks like a lovechild of the 570S, 650S, and P1, which isn't a bad thing. The supercar is expected to utilize the same carbon monocoque architecture and the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 that's found throughout McLaren's lineup.