The F1 2009 thread

[Happy Face 29]

I honestly think Button will go down in history as one of the more underwhelming world champions unless he can repeat the feat (or come reasonably close) next year. Not saying he deserves that fate, but just like last year, it's been another season where nobody has really dominated per se. That said, good on him for getting a break with a decent car after years of plugging away - and as for his second half of the season, sure, it's not been spectacular, but grinding out 0-0 draws and 1-0 wins is an accepted way of winning a league title once you've established a lead, so hey.

 

He needs to finish higher than fifth in the last race to avoid the lowest winning total in a decade.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

I honestly think Button will go down in history as one of the more underwhelming world champions unless he can repeat the feat (or come reasonably close) next year. Not saying he deserves that fate, but just like last year, it's been another season where nobody has really dominated per se. That said, good on him for getting a break with a decent car after years of plugging away - and as for his second half of the season, sure, it's not been spectacular, but grinding out 0-0 draws and 1-0 wins is an accepted way of winning a league title once you've established a lead, so hey.

People are never satisfied are they? When Schumacher was winning nearly every race it was 'boring' or 'predictable'. Now we've had a season with six or seven different race winners the world champion is 'underwhelming'.

 

He's got a reasonable crack at defending it next year at Brawn because a ) Ross Brawn wins titles wherever he is and won't have taken his eye off the ball too much regarding the development of next years car. And b ) They are going to be getting a shitload of investment from Mercedes who look upon them very favourably.

 

Having said that, I expect Mclaren and Ferrari to have cars capable of winning from the off next season which they didn't have this year.

Edited October 19, 2009 by Dr Kenneth Noisewater

[Tom 14011]

He won more than Hamilton in his championship season and people don't regard him as underwhelming.

[Craig 6670]

I honestly think Button will go down in history as one of the more underwhelming world champions unless he can repeat the feat (or come reasonably close) next year. Not saying he deserves that fate, but just like last year, it's been another season where nobody has really dominated per se. That said, good on him for getting a break with a decent car after years of plugging away - and as for his second half of the season, sure, it's not been spectacular, but grinding out 0-0 draws and 1-0 wins is an accepted way of winning a league title once you've established a lead, so hey.

People are never satisfied are they? When Schumacher was winning nearly every race it was 'boring' or 'predictable'. Now we've had a season with six or seven different race winners the world champion is 'underwhelming'.

 

He's got a reasonable crack at defending it next year at Brawn because a ) Ross Brawn wins titles wherever he is and won't have taken his eye off the ball too much regarding the development of next years car. And b ) They are going to be getting a shitload of investment from Mercedes who look upon them very favourably.

 

Having said that, I expect Mclaren and Ferrari to have cars capable of winning from the off next season which they didn't have this year.

 

More than that Dr Ken, with the fuel ban next year, the racing is going to play into the hands of whoever is smooth and easy on their tyres. Close to the top (if not THE top) of that list is Jenson Button.

 

Next year is a whole new ball game. For the past 16 years it's all been about who can stay out the longest in each stint who will get the advantage and when a driver pits, he tends to go from a favourable situation (low fuel) to an unfavourable one (ladened with weight). From next season, the fuel load will constantly decrease over the entire length of a GP meaning the car will be lighter and therefore a car will be far more advantaged following a pitstop (due to new boots) than before it. By being kinder to his tyres, I think Button will be able to stay out longer than his rivals and make up some serious advantage in that window.

 

The likes of Hamilton & Vettel who treat their tyres like a cheap tart are going to have to either change their ways or suffer the consequences. We're going to have as big a development change for 2010 as we did for 2009 and I think it'll be reflected in the first grid.

[Meenzer 15347]

People are never satisfied are they? When Schumacher was winning nearly every race it was 'boring' or 'predictable'. Now we've had a season with six or seven different race winners the world champion is 'underwhelming'.

It's more the way in which Button's perceived to have won it, though, isn't it? If his wins had been spread throughout the season with the others picking up victories either side, it'd be an entirely different matter. As it is, he benefited from the early advantage the Brawn car had, then basically clung on with his fingernails for the second half of the season - hence "underwhelming". Nothing wrong with that, it's just the way the game works - but I hope you and Craig are right and he goes on to prove the doubters wrong next year.

[Craig 6670]

The ultimate irony is that for most of 9 years, Button's performances has been mediocre due mainly to how shit his car's been. Now this year people are criticising him because his car is too good! The bloke can't win!

 

He's been far and away the most consistent driver of the season and while people have been critical of his second half of the season, it's only his qualifying that has let him down - his race performances have largely been as good as they were in the first half of the season.

 

Next season is a whole new ball game - no refuelling means that the cars are at a massive advantage when they leave the pits compare to when the enter them rather than the other way round. Those who are easy on their tyres will benefit massively and Button is one of them. The likes of Hamilton & Vettel who treat tyres like a cheap hooker will be pitting constantly if they don't change their style of driving.

 

The other factor that's not been mentioned much is that Brawn have freely admitted that they gave up development of the 2009 car in favour of 2010 some time ago. In fact Ross stated that they did so because they were so confident that the car could carry them to the titles without any further development and that maybe they were too confident.

 

We can't say what'll happen in 2010 yet because like this year, there's going to be massive technological changes. All teams will need to adapt to no refuelling which means they'll have to re-engineer their car's balance and consumption levels. Ferrari and McLaren also have to consider not having KERS too.

 

To say it won't be Button again next year is massively presumptious. IIt probably won't be him as I think the field is more even that it's been for decades but if he was to win back to back championships it'd hardly be a surprise. After all, nobody thought Schumacher would win a second championship in 1995 (all pre-season money was on Hill) nor did many think Alonso would win a second one in 2006 (all money was on Schumacher).

 

As for Button himself, has he just got lucky? Having not won a race until his 7th season or a championship until his 10th? Trouble our views have been tainted by years of drivers winning the championship soon after their careers started - Schumacher (4th year), Villeneuve (2nd year), Alonso (4th year), Hamilton (2nd year). Consider the likes of Hakkinen (8th year), Hill (5th year), Senna (8th year), Prost (6th year) or even Mansell (13th year). Had Barrichello won it, he'd have achieved it in his 17th season!!

 

Perhaps the biggest irony of all is that the likes of Schumacher, Villeneuve, Alonso & Hamilton all won their championships for teams that were considered a cut above the rest. Did they not profit from having the best car just like Jenson has?

[Guest alex]

I was delighted for him. He seems like a really nice lad. I think his tactical approach in the second half of the season was understandable because he never won it before but more importantly it's been proven to be the correct approach as he's won with a race to spare. He could have been more gung-ho but he'd have gotten slaughtered if he'd blown it doing that.

[Meenzer 15347]

Can I just point out, as if it wasn't spectacularly fucking obvious already, that I do think he deserves to be champion?

[Craig 6670]

Brundle's column on the BBC site is spot on BTW. First thing he said when he got in front of the camera was something along the lines of "this race was deserving of the championship".

 

The criticism has evidently got to him and he felt the need to sell himself again. He didn't need too - his race performances all season have done that for him.

 

Quite how people think he's less deserving of it than say Hamilton last year is beyond me. Hamilton won only 1 of the last 8 races and won the championship by a single point. Jenson will win it by at least 5 points and that's only if Vettel wins in Abu Dhabi and he fails to score. His championship victory could be by as many as 25 points. A margin that's not been seen since 2004 when Schumacher won by 34 points from Barrichello. But that was Schumachers ultra dominant 13 wins out of 18 races season.

[Guest alex]

Can I just point out, as if it wasn't spectacularly fucking obvious already, that I do think he deserves to be champion?

I wasn't having a pop at you Martino. I see we're you're coming from as well, i.e. about how he'll be perceived, especially if this is one-off.

[maggiespaws 0]

Great race at the weekend. I felt it was a little bit of a shame that a- Button didn't finish on the podium and b- Button winning the title detracted from a good win by Webber.

 

If Button could have gotten past that Japanese bloke a few laps sooner, I think it might have been a bit closer. I have to say that fair play to Button for driving like he did though. He could have played ti totally safe, but instead he went out to finish strong. Some of the overtakes were brilliant. I think if they had managed to get the car right in qualifying more consistently, then I reckon Button would have had a much better 2nd half and won more convincingly. Either way, you win titles by having more points than anyone else and Button has

 

For the record, I think Button is a better driver than Hamilton, not that I think Hamilton is a bad driver; I just think Button is more more complete driver. I hope Button finishes strong in Abu Dabi as he deserves too.

[Craig 6670]

Brilliant blog by Andrew Benson on BBC:

 

As for the bit in bold.... fucking hell!

 

The remarkable story of Brawn GP

Andrew Benson

 

There will be a few headaches on Monday among employees of Brawn Grand Prix following their team's brilliant double Formula 1 title win, but the biggest pain may be felt in Japan.

 

Honda's decision to quit F1 last December following two years of poor results looks in hindsight like one of the worst calls in sporting history.

 

For the Brawn team that won the drivers' and constructors' world championships at Sao Paulo's Interlagos track on Sunday is the same one that, in Honda's colours, had been propping up the grids in 2007 and 2008.

 

It is a quite remarkable story - and the word fairytale, which has been banded around a lot since Sunday evening, is a fitting one.

 

In February, this team was on the verge of extinction and yet eight months later it is on top of the world. Team boss Ross Brawn is one of the coolest characters in sport, but even he was briefly lost for words after the race, choked with the emotion of it all.

 

"We all felt the same way," a senior Brawn engineer, who prefers to keep a low public profile, told me on Monday morning. "There is a lot of relief because there have been a lot of dark times."

 

Honda's decision, announced in early December last year, has undoubtedly cost the Japanese company hundreds of millions of pounds worth of publicity. More importantly, it left its former team staring at the precipice.

 

Bosses Brawn and Nick Fry spent the winter looking for a new owner to buy the team.

 

"Every day it seemed to be a different story," our Brawn man says. "There would be someone who was said to be interested in buying it, some Mexican billionaire or something, but all the rumours died away. Then Honda came out and said there was no serious buyer, and everyone would be in the depths again.

 

"Ross was very good. He took people to one side and explained the situation. He'd say: 'I know it's tough, but don't go anywhere if you can avoid it. I think we can sort something out, and I think it's going to be good.'

 

"But he couldn't tell people what was going on, because he didn't want to get their hopes up only to have them come crashing down."

 

Through January and February, the employees at the team's base in Brackley had to watch as the other teams tested their new cars. And their frustration was heightened because their simulation data was telling them their car, which they thought might never see a race track, was dynamite.

 

"Weeks before the car got on the track," the source says, "we were told by one of the aero guys that we would be two seconds quicker than anyone else.

 

"I knew we'd made a number of big steps over the cars we'd done before, but even so, we'd had two years of dogs, and I thought the bloody aerodynamicists had got their numbers wrong again."

 

Then, with less than a month before the start of the season, Honda decided that letting the team go under would not be a good idea, and a deal was struck whereby Brawn would buy it out and Honda would provide enough money to go racing for a season, after which Brawn GP would be on their own.

 

So with three weeks to go before the season opener in Australia, the Brawn GP 001 finally hit the track - and it was true to its creators' predictions.

 

It was the fastest thing in the field by a mile, and Jenson Button went on to win six of the first seven races, the foundation for the championship he finally clinched on Sunday.

 

What is less well known, though, is that the car is, in the words of my source, "a botch job".

 

It was designed for a Honda engine, and it was not until December that the team knew they would be using a Mercedes. That necessitated some pretty crude changes.

 

"The chassis had the back six inches cut off to fit the engine in - the sort of thing you wouldn't normally do even with a test car," says my source. "And the gearbox was in the wrong place because the crank-centre height is different. There's a massive amount of compromise in the cars."

 

Those compromises introduced a significant performance deficit into the Brawn car, but it raced like that all year.

 

That is because the lead time on making a new chassis is several months, and at the time the team would have had to make the decision - in April - the car was dominating.

 

By the time it had dropped off the pace, and it was obvious the team needed the extra speed that would come with a bespoke chassis and improved weight distribution, it was too late to commission a new design.

 

Just as incredibly the team, tight on budget, made only three chassis all year - one for Button, one for Rubens Barrichello, and a spare - when a big-money outfit such as McLaren will typically make seven or eight.

 

That the Brawn was so quick in the circumstances is incredibly impressive.

 

Having a Mercedes engine rather than the uncompetitive Honda undoubtedly made a big difference. But clearly the team had also made a quantum leap with the car. And that says a lot for the way Ross Brawn, who joined too late to make any impression on the 2008 car, was able to marshal the team's resources better than had been done before.

 

Brawn has now won nine F1 drivers' titles and eight constructors' championships with three different teams - adding his own to Benetton and Ferrari. Button is the first driver other than Michael Schumacher to be crowned under his guidance. But pinning down exactly what makes the softly spoken 54-year-old Englishman the best technical manager in F1 is surprisingly difficult.

 

"It's amazing - it's all very subtle," says the Brawn insider. "It's almost like you don't know he's doing it.

 

"He has meetings, and he talks about how he thinks things should be done in the future and so on, and because his reputation is second to none, you don't question where it's coming from. But he doesn't come into the drawing office very much.

 

"He doesn't tell everyone what to do, he just leaves us to get on with it. He's not autocratic by any stretch of the imagination. He just gives people the confidence to do what they can do, and removes their concerns as they come up.

 

"The big thing is having the technical organisation he wants and letting them get on with it. It's a strange thing, because it's the same bunch of people who last year designed a dog."

 

This season has been far from an easy ride, though.

 

The early races were marred by the controversy over Brawn's 'double diffuser', which was eventually declared legal - and was never the sole reason for the car's performance.

 

While that was going on, Brawn had to cut something like 270 jobs to suit his new, more straitened, circumstances - a decision, he admitted on Sunday, which had been very painful.

 

There were the outbursts by Barrichello when he felt the team were favouring Button - a claim that has been proved unfounded by the evidence of the second half of the season.

 

Then there was the tricky mid-season period when the team dropped off the pace, and there have been Button's mystifying problems in qualifying that lost him competitiveness on Saturdays compared to his team-mate.

 

Yet there has never been a sense of crisis, just the same calm, methodical approach that oozes out of every part of Brawn's being.

 

The brief moment post-race in Brazil when he choked back tears of joy was the only time Brawn has come close to losing control in the 15 years I have known him. And even then he was quickly back to his normal self, predicting that the team would continue to be a force next year.

 

With Fernando Alonso in what is expected to be a rejuvenated Ferrari, and Lewis Hamilton and McLaren probably back on top form, few would predict a second consecutive title for Brawn and Button - who, incidentally, has still not signed for 2010.

 

But the team have an unidentified title sponsor already in place, and a Mercedes buy-in on the horizon.

 

And bearing in mind the travails of Brawn's remarkable journey, and the compromises inherent in their car this year, there is no reason to disagree with the Brawn insider who insists they will at least be "a respectable front-runner".

 

Considering where they were eight months ago, that speaks wonders for this team and its remarkable boss.

 

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/20...y_of_brawn.html

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Donington have fail to come up with the finances for the redevelopment work, casting the future of the British GP into doubt again.

[Craig 6670]

I don't think there's any doubt there'll be a British GP. As I posted earlier, whether they host it or not, Donington are now contractually obliged to pay Bernie for hosting the event and with Silverstone, he's already got another circuit lined up to host it and themselves pay a hosting fee.

 

Win-win situation for Ecclestone and not unprecedented. Remember when Brands Hatch were awarded the event around the turn of the century?

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

I don't think there's any doubt there'll be a British GP. As I posted earlier, whether they host it or not, Donington are now contractually obliged to pay Bernie for hosting the event and with Silverstone, he's already got another circuit lined up to host it and themselves pay a hosting fee.

 

Win-win situation for Ecclestone and not unprecedented. Remember when Brands Hatch were awarded the event around the turn of the century?

And Silverstone bought the company that ran Brands?

[Craig 6670]

Nah... that silly cow Foulston sold Brands Hatch Leisure to Octagon Motorsports who then failed to get the planning permission to upgrade Brands. Instead they leased the British GP back to Silverstone.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Nicola Foulston, I'd forgotten all about her.

[Craig 6670]

One of the lads at work won't let me... he managed the Daytona Kart Centre at Milton Keynes which she also sold to Octagon and basically fucked them all over.

 

The sheer mention oh her name results in him blowing a gasket

[Craig 6670]

Todt elected as Mosley successor

 

Jean Todt will succeed Max Mosley as the new head of motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, after winning the presidential election in Paris.

 

The former Ferrari team boss claimed the majority of the 221 votes cast to defeat his Finnish rival Ari Vatanen.

 

Todt, 63, was the favourite to win the vote after being backed by Mosley, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

 

The vote brings an end to Mosley's controversial 16-year reign.

 

Mosley agreed he would not stand for a fifth term as president as part of a peace deal struck in July to end the threat of a breakaway championship by Formula 1 teams.

 

Following his decision, Mosley immediately endorsed Todt ahead of Vatanen, who had already put himself forward as a candidate.

 

Todt and Vatanen, who worked together on the Peugeot rally team in the 1980s, fought an increasingly bitter campaign to succeed Mosley.

 

Both presented themselves as the candidate for change and harmony.

 

More soon

 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8322393.stm

 

Out of the frying fan into the fire....

[Craig 6670]

Button in frame for McLaren drive

 

New world champion Jenson Button has emerged as a contender to join Lewis Hamilton in what would be a mouth-watering line-up at McLaren in 2010.

 

The Englishman has yet to sign a new contract for Brawn and McLaren are interested having so far failed to secure first choice Kimi Raikkonen.

 

"We've talked to a number of drivers," said team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

 

"It wouldn't be appropriate to say more than that. We'll hire the two best drivers available as we always have."

 

Raikkonen, who is also being chased by Toyota after being forced to leave Ferrari to make way for Fernando Alonso, has not yet decided on his future and McLaren are exploring other possibilities.

 

Their back-up plan if Raikkonen turned them down was to retain his fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen, despite their reservations about his performances in races.

 

But following Button's failure so far to agree terms on a new contract with Brawn, they are now understood to be interested in him - which would put the two most recent world champions, and two Britons, in one highly marketable line-up.

 

BBC Sport has so far been unable to contact Button on Friday.

 

The Button-McLaren link first emerged in two national newspapers on Friday but it is understood there is substance in the story.

 

Button said on Tuesday that he and Brawn had yet to start substantive negotiations on a new deal.

 

Sources in F1 say the two parties have so far failed to agree on Button's salary.

 

He took a pay cut from £10m to £3m over the winter to help secure the survival of Brawn, which emerged from the ashes of the Honda team after the Japanese company decided to quit F1 last December.

 

But now he is world champion he is said to be looking for a pay rise more substantial than the one Brawn are offering.

 

McLaren, one of the better funded teams on the grid, would be able to pay more money than Brawn.

 

Button may also consider that McLaren are likely to have a faster car than Brawn in 2010, having already overtaken them for pace this year despite a poor start to the season.

 

But Button might be wary of teaming up with Hamilton, who is widely regarded as the out-and-out fastest driver on the grid.

 

Cynics will claim that the Button-McLaren link could have been leaked for one of two reasons.

 

It could be either a means for Button to get Brawn to up their offer to him, or it could be a way of McLaren trying to persuade Raikkonen to make up his mind.

 

In the background, there is also the fact that McLaren's long-term engine partner Mercedes is considering buying a large stake in the Brawn team, a move that is not popular in some parts of McLaren.

 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8322334.stm

 

Poor article tbh.

[sammynb 3342]

Todt elected as Mosley successor

 

Jean Todt will succeed Max Mosley as the new head of motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, after winning the presidential election in Paris.

 

The former Ferrari team boss claimed the majority of the 221 votes cast to defeat his Finnish rival Ari Vatanen.

 

Todt, 63, was the favourite to win the vote after being backed by Mosley, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

 

The vote brings an end to Mosley's controversial 16-year reign.

 

Mosley agreed he would not stand for a fifth term as president as part of a peace deal struck in July to end the threat of a breakaway championship by Formula 1 teams.

 

Following his decision, Mosley immediately endorsed Todt ahead of Vatanen, who had already put himself forward as a candidate.

 

Todt and Vatanen, who worked together on the Peugeot rally team in the 1980s, fought an increasingly bitter campaign to succeed Mosley.

 

Both presented themselves as the candidate for change and harmony.

 

More soon

 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8322393.stm

 

Out of the frying fan into the fire....

 

Shame Ari didn't get it as it could of been interesting.

 

Rumour I heard on Wednesday is Webber is going to be bumped from the Red Bull to Toro Rosso with, I think it was Raikkonen lined up to replace him. It was from a motoring journo here so who knows.

[Lazarus 0]

Todt elected as Mosley successor

 

Jean Todt will succeed Max Mosley as the new head of motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, after winning the presidential election in Paris.

 

The former Ferrari team boss claimed the majority of the 221 votes cast to defeat his Finnish rival Ari Vatanen.

 

Todt, 63, was the favourite to win the vote after being backed by Mosley, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

 

The vote brings an end to Mosley's controversial 16-year reign.

 

Mosley agreed he would not stand for a fifth term as president as part of a peace deal struck in July to end the threat of a breakaway championship by Formula 1 teams.

 

Following his decision, Mosley immediately endorsed Todt ahead of Vatanen, who had already put himself forward as a candidate.

 

Todt and Vatanen, who worked together on the Peugeot rally team in the 1980s, fought an increasingly bitter campaign to succeed Mosley.

 

Both presented themselves as the candidate for change and harmony.

 

More soon

 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8322393.stm

 

Out of the frying fan into the fire....

 

Any else thinks he looks like this bloke?

 

 

[snakehips 0]

Todt elected as Mosley successor

 

Jean Todt will succeed Max Mosley as the new head of motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, after winning the presidential election in Paris.

 

The former Ferrari team boss claimed the majority of the 221 votes cast to defeat his Finnish rival Ari Vatanen.

 

Todt, 63, was the favourite to win the vote after being backed by Mosley, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

 

The vote brings an end to Mosley's controversial 16-year reign.

 

Mosley agreed he would not stand for a fifth term as president as part of a peace deal struck in July to end the threat of a breakaway championship by Formula 1 teams.

 

Following his decision, Mosley immediately endorsed Todt ahead of Vatanen, who had already put himself forward as a candidate.

 

Todt and Vatanen, who worked together on the Peugeot rally team in the 1980s, fought an increasingly bitter campaign to succeed Mosley.

 

Both presented themselves as the candidate for change and harmony.

 

More soon

 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8322393.stm

 

Out of the frying fan into the fire....

 

Any else thinks he looks like this bloke?

 

 

 

Bloke, you say??? What bloke???

 

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Button in frame for McLaren drive

 

New world champion Jenson Button has emerged as a contender to join Lewis Hamilton in what would be a mouth-watering line-up at McLaren in 2010.

 

The Englishman has yet to sign a new contract for Brawn and McLaren are interested having so far failed to secure first choice Kimi Raikkonen.

 

"We've talked to a number of drivers," said team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

 

"It wouldn't be appropriate to say more than that. We'll hire the two best drivers available as we always have."

 

Raikkonen, who is also being chased by Toyota after being forced to leave Ferrari to make way for Fernando Alonso, has not yet decided on his future and McLaren are exploring other possibilities.

 

Their back-up plan if Raikkonen turned them down was to retain his fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen, despite their reservations about his performances in races.

 

But following Button's failure so far to agree terms on a new contract with Brawn, they are now understood to be interested in him - which would put the two most recent world champions, and two Britons, in one highly marketable line-up.

 

BBC Sport has so far been unable to contact Button on Friday.

 

The Button-McLaren link first emerged in two national newspapers on Friday but it is understood there is substance in the story.

 

Button said on Tuesday that he and Brawn had yet to start substantive negotiations on a new deal.

 

Sources in F1 say the two parties have so far failed to agree on Button's salary.

 

He took a pay cut from £10m to £3m over the winter to help secure the survival of Brawn, which emerged from the ashes of the Honda team after the Japanese company decided to quit F1 last December.

 

But now he is world champion he is said to be looking for a pay rise more substantial than the one Brawn are offering.

 

McLaren, one of the better funded teams on the grid, would be able to pay more money than Brawn.

 

Button may also consider that McLaren are likely to have a faster car than Brawn in 2010, having already overtaken them for pace this year despite a poor start to the season.

 

But Button might be wary of teaming up with Hamilton, who is widely regarded as the out-and-out fastest driver on the grid.

 

Cynics will claim that the Button-McLaren link could have been leaked for one of two reasons.

 

It could be either a means for Button to get Brawn to up their offer to him, or it could be a way of McLaren trying to persuade Raikkonen to make up his mind.

 

In the background, there is also the fact that McLaren's long-term engine partner Mercedes is considering buying a large stake in the Brawn team, a move that is not popular in some parts of McLaren.

 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8322334.stm

 

Poor article tbh.

If the Hamilton/Button story was to come off, Schumacher would have to return to Ferrari so we could have two British 'goody' world champions against two foreign 'baddy' champs.

[Billy Castell 0]

I wondered where Kimi was going to go if he wasn't going to McLaren. It would be a bit harsh on Webber if he gets bumped down to Torro Rosso to make room for the Finn. I'd love to see Button or Rosberg in a McLaren next season with Hamilton. On a different subject, has there being any news or rumours on whose engines Williams will be using, and where Nick Heidfeld will be next season?