Jenson Button will partner Lewis Hamilton, to sign 3-year McLaren deal for 2010
McLaren to get two F1 World Champions; good friends Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will be drivers for 2010
According to some reports in the British media, the 2009 formula one champion Jenson Button has agreed to a three-year McLaren stint that would earn the Brit GBP 6m per annum.
Lewis Hamilton with current F1 World Champion Jenson Button: Teammates in 2010
The deal will be signed in the next few days, paving the way for Button to leave his championship winning Mercedes Grand Prix team (formerly Brawn GP), British newspaper Guardian, has reported. Button’s partner at Woking-based McLaren will be former world champion and fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton.
Rumours had surfaced in the past weeks of an all-Brit dream team for McLaren F1 in 2010. Now with Mercedes’ buyout of Brawn GP, it was almost certain that jenson Button was on his way out, as the German manufacturer wanted an all German driver line-up. Mercedes Grand Prix still not finalised their drivers for 2010. Kimi Raikkonen, who was keen on joining McLaren for 2010 could not agree with the team on a bunch of issues such as his salary, sponsor commitments etc. On top of that, now with both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button – both Brits – in the team, the team becomes eminently marketable in the United Kingdom, a chance that is very tempting indeed for a UK-based team like McLaren. Patriotism would be sky-high next season in F1 for sure.
Jenson Button’s salary negotiations with his former Brawn GP team broke down and McLaren was ready to offer the latest world champion a salary which is almost double his Brawn GP salary, the Guardian report said.
After winning the driver’s title in Abu Dhabi, Button had said he would want to continue with the Brawn GP team.
Lewis Hamilton photo
The main challenge for Button lies in defending his title and going wheel-to-wheel with his close friend Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton had said earlier that he would welcome Button as his teammate, but as per reports, he might not have had a say on the matter. The two are very close friends for sure, but many believe that the move to McLaren is bad strategy for Jenson Button. Button was stuck in mediocre cars for a long time, and even his win in the 2009 F1 season has not convinced many that he really is World Champion material. Jackie Stewart has already said that this would be a mistake on Button’s part. Lewis Hamilton is known for his amazing driving skills, and many consider him a better driver. Button has always been known as a smooth driver who is great in a great car, but average in an average car. How he fends off the challenge from Lewis Hamilton, who is a McLaren protege and now well-established in the McLaren team in 2010 remains to be seen.
Photo: Jenson Button celebrating his 2009 win
If the reports are true, then McLaren, who are known for their professionalism, will have the strongest driver line-up in the 2010 grid, with the former champion and the current world champion forming the team.
Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry had hinted earlier that he would like to see Button continue with his team; but also said that he might not hold on to the world champion at any price. “I hope Jenson is still with us next season,” Fry told the BBC. “We’ve been together for a good few years now and we have succeeded in winning the World Championship together and we want Jenson to be with us.”
A report in the Daily Mail said that Button would sign his three-year McLaren deal before the end of the week as he might not want to risk not having a racing seat in 2010, now that Mercedes’ Brawn buyout has not left him many choices.
Kimi Raikkonen has been left high and dry by all these, and so far he has not shown any inclination to race with the Mercedes Grand Prix team, nor have they made an approach to him. In all likelihood, Kimi would sit out the 2010 F1 season or focus on his rally career – and w have to say that a talent like Kimi, not racing for an year, is a disaster for fans indeed.