Button, 35, will continue to race
Veteran talks about his future and his target of 7th spot on Sunday night
The same question dogs him everywhere he goes these days, with camps split over whether Jenson Button will continue in Formula 1, or not.
The 35-year-old, forever engaging, has not shied away from the topic, willing to discuss the issue of his age, versus the hungry youngsters like Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne waiting in the wings to occupy his McLaren-Honda seat.
And he has also been unafraid to talk about the once-peerless team's spectacular fall from grace.
Speaking to The New Paper on the sidelines of the Esso Synergy Race Off Finale yesterday at the Conrad Centennial Singapore, the Briton was once again willing to broach the subject when asked.
"It is a decision between two parties and, over the next few weeks, we will discuss what we think is best," said the 2009 world champion, ahead of the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.
"I have enjoyed my career and I'd love to race if we have a chance of challenging in the near future, but I am not a spring chicken. I am 35 years old.
"I can't wait for five years, so it's all about timing."
Both Button and teammate Fernando Alonso - a two-time world champion - have struggled all season in McLaren's first year with Honda engines.
The team have been plagued with power and reliability issues, with Button collecting just six points this year and lying 18th out of 20 drivers in the standings, while Alonso is 15th, on 11 points.
Button was adamant he would retire from the sport if he felt he wasn't going to be competitive enough to challenge for a title.
"Your dream is never to get to Formula 1 and drive around at the back. You get in to win. It's all about competitiveness and fighting to win," he said.
"Once you have been on the top step of the podium, nothing else is good enough. It's like a drug, you are addicted, and finishing 14th is not what I am here to do."
While some critics may charge that Button has underachieved, given what he has had at his disposal, the driver says he is happy with what he has achieved in his career.
He said: "I have won a world championship in Formula 1, that's quite an achievement. Anyone who has won a world championship in anything, it's a big achievement because you have reached the pinnacle of your sport."
"We all want to win more, that's why we race; if I didn't want to win more, I would have retired after 2009," added the winner of 15 grands prix.
KEEP ON FIGHTING
"But when you feel that, you're strong enough to fight for the world championship, and you don't have the equipment to do so, you keep fighting until you find a situation that works for you."
The super-fit pilot, married to Argentine-Japanese model Jessica Michibata, feels that his team can pick up some points on Sunday night, as engine power is not an overwhelming a factor for victory in a slow and twisty Marina Bay street circuit.
Still, Button, whose best finish at the Singapore Grand Prix was second in 2011 and 2012 for McLaren, is realistic about his team's chances of surpassing Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.
Button said: "If you take away the first three teams, because they are too quick, there is going to be a big pack of cars fighting for seventh place.
"I think seventh is going to be our target this weekend."
Asked how he would prepare to race in the haze, the driver joked: "I smoke two packs (of cigarettes) a day. It's perfect."
Turning serious, he said: "It's not just fog, is it? It's unhealthy, wood fire is never going to be healthy. You don't want to prepare for that, hopefully it's going to clear by the weekend."
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