Lewis Hamilton warned Jenson Button to expect the unexpected as world champion. That ball started to roll before the week was out with Button volunteered as Hamilton’s team-mate at McLaren next season. Button has also been linked to Toyota.
All of this suggests a lively welcome when Button arrives in Abu Dhabi next week for the inaugural grand prix in the United Arab Emirates. Not least from a Brawn management team shocked to discover Button’s dirty linen being given a public airing.
Brawn acknowledge that there is a gap to make up with the driver boasting a No1 against his name next season, but deny any suggestion that the disquiet extends further than Button’s private concerns.
Morale is, they say, as high as one would expect at a team that has just won the world championship. The party at Brackley HQ last week supports that view.
A game of cat and mouse over Button’s salary developed across late summer. His world championship victory in Brazil last week gave the issue fresh impetus. Button wants a salary commensurate with his status and in line with his remuneration under the old Honda regime. Brawn have to balance their desire to keep him with the need to balance the books.
Though victory in the constructor’s championship guarantees a multi-million prize, it does not come on stream until April. Nevertheless, that, a title sponsor and possible new ownership, justifies Button’s demand, at least in the eyes of the driver.
Brawn, in keeping with these straitened times, interprets the driver market differently. Brawn had pencilled in further meetings with Button after the final race of the season. The events of the past few days will have added a sense of urgency.
Button wants to stay. Brawn want to keep him. The coming days will tell us how much each party means to the other. Brawn chief executive Nick Fry said: “This team has just won the world championship. The fact that Brawn personnel are being offered jobs by other teams would come as no surprise.
"The important thing for us is that we are not a one-hit wonder. What we want to do is invest in the team and make sure that we are in contention again next year.”
The hosts won’t mind the attention. Abu Dhabi acquired the ultimate race slot hoping the championship would be decided on Arab soil. Button stole that thunder but by way of compensation offers a dollop of controversy, which is often of greater interest than the race.
A Hamilton-Button partnership is an obvious attraction, however unlikely. McLaren tried to sign Button when Hamilton was still at school, but he balked at the five-year term.
Kimi Raikkonen, managed by Button’s former representatives, the father and son team of David and Steve Robertson, was the beneficiary of that refusal.
As Hamilton’s appointment demonstrated, McLaren are not afraid to gamble. They took on Raikkonen after only one year in Formula One at Sauber and poached Juan Montoya spectacularly from Williams.
Two decades ago they paired Ayrton Senna with Alain Prost in arguably the greatest intra-team rivalry of the modern era.
Button will not be unhappy to have his name associated with F1’s traditional powers, though he would do well to avoid the contractual disputes that marred his earlier career. The switch from BAR to Williams and back again did him few favours.
The noise surrounding his contract dispute arguably reflects his desire to stay where he is. It is in effect an appeal to Brawn to pull their fingers out and end the speculation.
It would be a pity if a compromise was not reached. Button’s race to the championship is second only to flat racing’s fairytale Sea The Stars as the sports story of the year.
The prospect of a Button-Nico Rosberg pairing next season in a well-funded car spreads the glamour across four teams with Brawn, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull boasting stellar appeal.
Significantly, only one team is in the hands of Ross Brawn, the most successful leader of men in the modern era, which ought to be reason for compromise.
No comments:
Post a Comment