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Adapting to 2017 cars Button's biggest challenge - de la Rosa

Jenson Button’s chances of turning his F1 return in Monaco into a success will depend entirely on how quick he can adjust to the unique demands of 2017 cars, reckons former driver Pedro de la Rosa.

Jenson Button, McLaren F1

Jenson Button, McLaren F1

XPB Images

Pedro De La Rosa, Ferrari Development Driver with Jenson Button, McLaren
Jenson Button, McLaren in the garage
Pedro De La Rosa
Jenson Button, McLaren MP4-31
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MCL32
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MCL32
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MCL32
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MCL32

With Fernando Alonso racing at the Indy 500 this weekend, Button has been drafted in for a one-off comeback after calling time on his full-time F1 career at the end of last year.

And de la Rosa, who worked alongside Button as a McLaren test driver in 2011 and previously raced for the team after Juan Pablo Montoya quit for NASCAR in 2006, has no doubts that the ingredients are there for the former world champion to be strong.

However, he thinks the whole weekend will rest on how fast Button can get used to the new wider and faster 2017 cars – and one slip up in practice has the potential to derail the weekend.

Speaking about Button's chances, de la Rosa said: "He is a fantastic driver. You only have to look at his record.

"He is a world champion and just look how close him and Fernando were over the last two years – it was difficult to separate the two. So I guess he will be fast.

"He flies in Monaco too, and he is fit because he is doing the triathlons. But, the only question mark I have is how quick he will adapt to these new cars.

"These new cars, from what I can see, are very different. We will have to wait and see. He has the talent yes, and he has the speed, but he will need a bit of time.

"And if you make a mistake in FP1 or FP2 then the whole rhythm is lost, so he has to be very concentrated."

McLaren potential

A season-best seventh on the grid at the Spanish Grand Prix has lifted hopes that McLaren can challenge for points in Monaco, and de la Rosa too is equally sure about what could happen.

"F1 is always tricky. The good thing is we look at the facts: and the fact is that the McLaren-Honda in Spain was very fast, and very fast in the last sector.

"That last sector is the most tricky, the slowest corner, and the one comparable to Monaco, so I am optimistic for the team in Monaco.

"That is the most positive thing. The car could be potentially be pretty competitive."

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