Jenson Button says he would relish going up against Fernando Alonso in equal machinery if the two get paired together at McLaren.

Alonso is poised to rejoin McLaren in 2015, with the team left with a choice of Button or Kevin Magnussen as the double world champion's team-mate. Despite his future still being unknown, when asked if he would like to take on Alonso in the same car, Button says the idea reminds him fondly of his time alongside Lewis Hamilton but insists a competitive car is more important.

"I think every driver likes the challenge of a good team-mate," Button said. "That's why I loved the three years I spent with Lewis. He was extremely quick, he was better than me in qualifying over the three seasons but I could really challenge him in the race and a lot of times put him in his place in different situations and different conditions.

"So I loved those three years, they were a lot of fun. People keep sending me footage of different races through the years ... they're reminiscing. People keep saying that I'm reminiscing on Twitter but I'm not, it's just that my fans are and I see something I like so I repost it. They sent me through the race [in Brazil] from 2012, the battle I had for the first eight laps with Lewis. There's no commentary, there's just us two, the engine sound, the conditions and us doing what we do best.

"That's what I miss more than anything else right now, it's that fighting for a win. That's what probably is the most difficult thing at this moment in time is that we can't challenge for wins in Formula One. So for me if I'm in Formula One next year I've got to be winning, that's what I'm here to do.

"The last two years haven't been like that. The first three years with McLaren have been amazing, challenging for wins; yeah we didn't quite with the championship but it was a mega challenge. The last two years have been tough. Next year, if I'm in Formula One I want to be winning races."

And when asked if it would be bad for F1 if Button was to be dropped, Alonso said he would like to see the 2009 world champion retained.

"For Button hopefully he stays," Alonso said. "He's a very talented driver. He has nothing to say as a world champion but he is also a great character and a good person. So I think people like him are good for our sport, so we'll see if we have him on the grid.

"It's a question more for McLaren, not for me."