McLaren announced on Wednesday that Alonso would be entering the Indy 500 as part of a joint entry with Honda and Andretti Autosport, missing the Monaco Grand Prix on May 28. Back in Formula One, Alonso seems prepared to endure yet another fruitless and painful season with the McLaren, the team's Honda engines have fallen well short of expectations for a third-straight year.
Alonso's unexpected move to compete in next month's Indianapolis 500 has presented McLaren with the opportunity to draft Button back in for F1's showpiece race, just five months after he started a sabbatical.
Fernando Alonso's in-flight movies will be all about the Indianapolis 500 for the next few weeks as the double Formula One world champion gears up for a challenge that he is far from ready for.
Honda-powered McLaren have endured a tough start to the season, with no points from two races, but Monaco's tricky street circuit could suit their auto better and is also one where drivers can make the difference.
"As for Fernando, I hope he not only fares well at Indy but enjoys it too".
"But at the same time I think it's a great challenge for Fernando".
Button remains under contract with McLaren after agreeing a two-year ambassadorial role, but he is yet to drive this year's auto.
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Alonso has just over six weeks until he lines up at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, during which time he will compete in three races - including this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix. "On the planes, I will try to look at some videos and some races from the past years and try to learn as quick as I can".
"Jenson is a class act", racing director Eric Boullier said. "If I can race together with F1 and other series as I am doing this year it will be okay, if not I will only do F1". Button, who's still under contract with the team, hasn't raced since the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
McLaren announced earlier in the week that the Spaniard, a double world champion, would miss the May 28 Monaco Grand Prix to compete at The Brickyard in the biggest event in USA open-wheel racing. It's also my responsibility to cover any ifs - if he was committed to something, if he was sick - anything that would have stopped him from driving in Monaco. "I think we're all excited to get to race against him".
"This is our way of trying to have some success together with our McLaren-Honda relationship".
"We discussed this at length together, and Jenson obviously spent 17 years racing in Formula 1 - he actually drove the kind of level of downforce we have today", Boullier said.
He said it was not likely that he would have taken the chance to switch if his McLaren Honda auto was competitive this season.
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