McLaren lineup good for ’five more years’

Martin Whitmarsh thinks McLaren’s current driver lineup could be in place for another five years.

2011 is former world champions Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton’s second season together at the British team, but Hamilton in particular has been linked with a move to Red Bull.

"We have had some long driver relationships but I hope this one goes on for many more years," said team boss Whitmarsh, referring to Button, 31, and 26-year-old Hamilton.

"Jenson’s got inner peace, he enjoys F1, has a passion for it and for as long as he is competitive he will want to continue. There’s no reason from a physiological point of view he can’t be around at McLaren for another five years at least," he said.

Whitmarsh said the pair is fiercely competitive but also friendly.

"Jenson’s got another five years in him if he wants it. Lewis has got another ten years in F1," he insisted.