Button on F1’s ‘big divide’

Jenson Button feels F1's problem is not the number of engine suppliers in the sport but rather the divide between the have and have nots.

With Renault saying farewell to its customers at the end of this year and potentially purchasing Lotus to become a works team and Honda only open to supplying McLaren in 2016, the rest of the grid will be powered by Mercedes and Ferrari.

This has raised some concerns for Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

He recently stated that it is "important for Formula 1 to have competitive engine manufacturers because what we're rapidly descending upon is two dominant engine suppliers and that ultimately isn't healthy for F1."

Button, however, disagrees.

The McLaren driver told Autosport: "More engine manufacturers are good for the sport but before Honda came along, there were only three.

"So if it goes back to three, it is the same as it was last year, so I don't think it is an issue for the sport.

"From what I read, Renault is trying to buy Lotus – hopefully that will be the case – and that will help with keeping the numbers up for the grid.

"I think F1 is very competitive at the moment, but there is a big divide between those who can afford to go racing and those who are struggling, so hopefully that can be bridged.

"I think everybody thinks more engine manufacturers in F1 would be better but that's always difficult with the way the world is at the moment.

"It's more interesting when it is mixed-up competition of course – but F1 is not in a bad place at the moment so it is not the end of the world."