Silly season speculation regarding the futures of Jenson Button and Stoffel Vandoorne continues to do the rounds in the aftermath of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend
It is believed that Button, 36, came very close to switching to Williams for 2016, with McLaren-Honda only deciding to retain him late in the piece.
Current paddock talk suggests that McLaren has already decided to replace Button for 2017 with its young charger Stoffel Vandoorne.
"We have the priority choice on him," admitted team boss Eric Boullier, referring to the reigning GP2 champion and Belgian. "But if there is no place for him here, we could consider lending him to another team."
When asked by the Belgian newspaper La Derniere Heure if Renault might be an option for Vandoorne, reuniting him with his 2015 boss Frederic Vasseur, Boullier answered: "Why not? But it is too early to tell. Everything will move along when we have made our choice of drivers for 2017."
Vandoorne made an impressive debut when he replaced injured Fernando Alonso at the Bahrain Grand Prix, by scoring McLaren's first points of the season, out-qualifying Button and then beating the veteran in the race.
Vasseur, however, denied that Vandoorne could race for Renault next year, "Despite all the friendship and esteem I have for Stoffel, it would not make sense to accept him from McLaren for one year. We cannot develop a driver for a year and then hand him to the competition."
Vandoorne has revealed that being told late last year that Button was staying at McLaren alongside Alonso was already frustrating, "I admit it was hard for me to hear that he had been chosen. I won the GP2 title right here at Sochi and learned through the press that they (McLaren) had renewed with Jenson."
"It took a while to digest the news," Vandoorne revealed. "I went to the final (GP2) round in Abu Dhabi willing to do anything to win both races and show that I was the best option."
"I want to start my career at a top team," he added, and said he is not even fazed at the prospect of starting his race career alongside a driver as strong as Alonso, his frinnd and mentor.
"It wouldn't worry me. There will be pressure to be a potentially winning racing team, but at the same time I will be facing it with a world champion. And if I do well my reputation will grow. I believe in my ability," predicted Vandoorne.
The Belgian ace is now warning that he is determined to make his full-time debut next year, "I realise there is a lot of interest in me, but I have a contract with McLaren, they believe in me and I hope I can stay here."
With Felipe Massa likely to be ditched by Williams at the end of this season, Button is reportedly a candidate to end his career at the the Grove outfit, where it all began for the Englishman.
When asked, last month, if he would like to have the veteran Button as his 2017 teammate, Williams' Valtteri Bottas answered: "Yes."
But according to Marca, a press officer immediately interrupted the Finn's interview, with Bottas agreeing: "I know for myself what rumours are like..."
Giving credibility to the possibility of Button's return to Williams is former McLaren chief mechanic Marc Priestley, turned pundit, who said on Sky F1 Report, "It would be a lovely end to the Button story to go full circle."
No doubt referring to the fact that, at just 20 years of age, Button made his debut for the Grove team in 2000.
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