‘McLaren & Ferrari want Button’

McLaren are set to offer Jenson Button a new lucrative contract in a bid to keep Ferrari away from the 2009 Champion…

McLaren are set to offer Jenson Button a new lucrative contract in a bid to keep Ferrari away from the 2009 Champion.

Reports this weekend claim that Ferrari are eager to sign Button as Fernando Alonso’s new 2012 team-mate, replacing the beleaguered Felipe Massa.

According to the News of the World tabloid, a source at Maranello revealed that there has been “a lot of talk” at Ferrari about securing Button’s services.

The Ferrari source said: “They (Ferrari) have already checked to see if he would be available.

“The team realise they need a stronger partner for Fernando Alonso than Felipe Massa if they want to win the title again.”

However, the Daily Mail reports that McLaren are set to do everything they can to ensure Button and Lewis Hamilton remain team-mates for the foreseeable future.

The newspaper claims that even if they want Ferrari cannot sign Button for 2012 as McLaren are “set to trigger an automatic one-year extension to Button’s