Formula One 2009

[hackerjack]

Indeed Kimi will most liekly now be sitting out 2010. There's no way he's getting a drive at Brawn now and I think he's missed his chance at McLaren. To be honest seeing as they have already got Hamilton then taking a safe bet in Button for a fraction of the price of a risky Kimi makes perfect sense.

What worries me for Kimi is that I don't see much changing for 2010 so he might find the route back to a good seat pretty blocked next summer. Ferrari and McLaren are unliekly to change, Brawn wont be paying him what he wants, Red Bull wont be an option, if Webber does move on odds are it will be Buemi or someone coming in there, possibly is Vettel moves to Merc AND webber retires?

I could never see Kobayashi gettgin a drive once Toyota folded. For me he isa huge risk, he looked fast enough but drove like a demented Melon in Brazil when he could have taken out cars two or three times before Nakajima. In Abu Dhabi he did well but it was the strategy that should take most of the credit there. Honestly I think his only shot at a drive is with Renault as they could easily be the last chair left by the time they wor out if they want to take part or not. Other than that there are plenty of teams looking for 3rds.

[Adam]

Ergh, not happy at all with the buyout of Brawn, they're essentially becoming a German team, and obviously Button going to McLaren now which is just gonna be annoyingly unbearable next season as the whole country creams itself over McLaren.

Looks like I'm back to supporting Ferrari again next year then, and I doubt Raikkonen will be too fussed about missing out on McLaren, he will earn more money by sitting out the year on his pay-off from Ferrari, and then he'll probably go off to the WRC instead or something.

[Guest Raving Rich]

According to the BBC's F1 Website, Button is closing in on a deal with McLaren and Timo Glock has been announced as Manor GP's lead driver for 2010.

[KoA]

Many tabloids now reporting that Button has signed a £6m a year deal with McLaren for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons. Hasn't been confirmed by Button, his manager, McLaren, or Brawn/Mercedes yet, so for now, I'm taking it with an excited pinch of salt.

[TheArsenal]

I like McLaren, have done ever since Senna was driving for them.

I like Hamilton, we were born in the same hospital.

I like Button, as I feel he handled being in a crap car with a lot of humility after choosing to stay at BAR Honda and not move to Williams.

If the team ends up that way, I will be a happy man.

[KoA]

I like McLaren, have done ever since Senna was driving for them.

I like Hamilton, we were born in the same hospital.

I like Button, as I feel he handled being in a crap car with a lot of humility after choosing to stay at BAR Honda and not move to Williams.

If the team ends up that way, I will be a happy man.

This be truth for me too, although I wasn't born in the same hospital as Hamilton, and rather than being a fan since Senna, a McLaren fan is what I was brought up to be.

[Rich]

I have followed Mclaren through thick and thin since 1989 (when I was 2 incidently), but I have to say this is not joyous news at all.

My immediate thoughts were echoed in sentiment in a blog on the BBCSport website where they clearly point out that the Mclaren car will be developed to the style of Hamilton. This is the exact oppostite of what Button needs. Lewis' style, much like the fan-dabi-dozi Ayrton Senna is to have a loose car with oversteer that you almost fight to get over the line and get speed my pushing to the limit. Button's style prefers understeer using his smmoothness on both the throttle and the steering wheel to get the best out of the package, his style would be wasted on a car that is designed to oversteer, he would be constantly correcting and the smooth and fast style will be of no use if the car is inherently not designed for the man.

This is of course a worry and is by no means what will happen, I jsut hope that we don't see an implosion in the Mcalren team much like we saw in 2007 between Hamilton and Alonso.

[Adam]

I like Button, as I feel he handled being in a crap car with a lot of humility after choosing to stay at BAR Honda and not move to Williams.

IIRC, Button did not show humility by staying at BAR, he actually said 'I'm signing for Williams', only to then have his team boss turn around and say 'err, no you arent, you're contracted here for another two years and there's fuck all you can do about it'. I think that was also after BAR had their best year ever by a mile and came second to a dominant Ferrari.

[TheArsenal]

I like Button, as I feel he handled being in a crap car with a lot of humility after choosing to stay at BAR Honda and not move to Williams.

IIRC, Button did not show humility by staying at BAR, he actually said 'I'm signing for Williams', only to then have his team boss turn around and say 'err, no you arent, you're contracted here for another two years and there's fuck all you can do about it'. I think that was also after BAR had their best year ever by a mile and came second to a dominant Ferrari.

No, in 2004 BAR finished second in the constructors with Jenson third in the championship. After that season he tried to leave to go to Williams but it was the the FIA, not his team, that ruled he had to stay at BAR for the 2005 season, but after that there was room to negotiate due to an option that Williams had on Button's contract.

After the 2005 season he again decided to leave and did sign a contract with Williams, only to change his mind. However because he signed a contract with Williams he had to buy-out that contract - personally costing him upwards of £20million. By the time the next season started, BAR had been bought out by Honda. The first year wasn't too bad, although their were reliability issues. The next two years, Jenson was stuck in a car that was absolutely terrible. But not once in this two years did I hear him moaning about the team, becaus ehe knew he had put himself there and he was humble enough to just get on with it. A lot of people would have been very vocal about the car and the team but he always complimented the work being done by the team and I respect him for that.

[TheArsenal]

I thought this would be the most likely outcome since Alonso was unveiled at Ferrari....

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen will not be racing in Formula 1 next year after failing to find a drive.

The 30-year-old Finn had been trying to do a deal with McLaren but they would not offer him the salary he wanted, his manager David Robertson told BBC Sport.

"They couldn't afford him," Roberston said. "It wasn't in his interests to race for what they were offering so he's going to go rallying instead."

Robertson said he believed McLaren had already signed Jenson Button.

Raikkonen, who won the world title for Ferrari in 2007, was forced out of Ferrari at the end of this season to make way for Fernando Alonso, despite already having a year left on his contract.

Raikkonen is being paid a sum believed to be in the region of 20m Euro not to race for Ferrari in 2010, but still wanted to be paid what he felt was a fair sum to drive for another team.

Robertson would not confirm the Ferrari payment, describing his arrangements with Ferrari as "confidential".

Although he won the Belgian Grand Prix, Raikkonen's final season with Ferrari was a disappointment, with car that was never the fastest in the field.

He said: "Kimi wanted a winning car, only McLaren could supply that and he only had them in his sights. He didn't want another year like this one.

"But they had their issues with Mercedes, Santander and the FIA and from a financial point of view they are not the powerhouse they were. They couldn't afford him."

Mercedes announced on Tuesday that they were selling back their 40% shareholding in McLaren and buying the Brawn team instead.

Spanish bank Santander will sponsor Ferrari next year, although they will still retain a smaller presence with McLaren.

And governing body the FIA in 2007 fined McLaren $100m (then £49m) after they were found guilty of possessing confidential Ferrari technical information.

More to follow.

[Guest Raving Rich]

Good riddance to the useless tit. For the past two years he's been over-rated and for the past three years he's been over-payed.

[hackerjack]

I think the deal was he got £20m provided he didnt sign with nany other F1 team so it's not a surprise that he has chosen to have the year off. I wonder if this gives him the chance to rally for FIAT and that way he si still effectively with the group and could return if Massa fails to perform next season. It's probably his best option because I can't see any of the other top seats coming up in 2011 unless Red Bull sell Vettel to Mercedes and open up a spot there. Of course if he does well rallying then we might not see him back at all.

[Guest Raving Rich]

I think the deal was he got £20m provided he didnt sign with nany other F1 team so it's not a surprise that he has chosen to have the year off. I wonder if this gives him the chance to rally for FIAT and that way he si still effectively with the group and could return if Massa fails to perform next season. It's probably his best option because I can't see any of the other top seats coming up in 2011 unless Red Bull sell Vettel to Mercedes and open up a spot there. Of course if he does well rallying then we might not see him back at all.

Well the Ferrari is basically a luxury FIAT, so he'll be driving the same car as 2009 more or less if that happens.

[hackerjack]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8363892.stm

Button signs up for McLaren move

By Andrew Benson

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button

Hamilton and Button look like being team-mates at McLaren in 2010

Jenson Button has signed to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton in an all-English line-up at McLaren next season, BBC Sport has learned.

The world champion's move will be announced later on Wednesday.

The confirmation follows news that former world champion Kimi Raikkonen will not race in F1 next year.

The move leaves McLaren with one of the most exciting driver line-ups in F1 and Button facing arguably the toughest challenge of his career.

More to follow.

[hackerjack]

Well the Ferrari is basically a luxury FIAT, so he'll be driving the same car as 2009 more or less if that happens.

That's why I said he'd be staying with the group. And let's face it if FIAT are paying him anyway then why not get him to race for them.

[Guest Raving Rich]

The following comes to mind with the above announcement:

[Rich]

Refer to my previous comments about why I am not "jizzing in my pants"

I am not 100% happy about this at all, yeah fan-dabi-dozi that Button will be in a supposedly competitive car next year, one that has only really been competitive for Lewis.

Kovalainen is no doubt a fan-dabi-dozi driver and even beat the likes of Michael Schumacher at the Race of Champions a few years ago, but the car didn't suit his driving style and he played second fiddle to Hamilton so his career has suffered. I sincerely hope that this doesn't happen to Button now. Hamilton doesn't have the sharing, fuzzy team mate feel.

I wish I could be excited about this 100% awesome British team, but I can't get rid of this nagging feeling that Jenson is going to suffer because of it.

EDIT:

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen will not be racing in Formula 1 next year after failing to find a drive.

The 30-year-old Finn had been trying to do a deal with McLaren but they would not offer him the salary he wanted, his manager David Robertson told BBC Sport.

"They couldn't afford him," Robertson said. "It wasn't in his interests to race for what they were offering so he's going to go rallying instead."

Robertson said he believed McLaren had already signed Jenson Button.

Raikkonen is trying to find a drive in the world rally championship, Roberston said, although nothing had yet been sorted out.

He made his world rally debut on his home Rally Finland last August, setting competitive times before crashing out.

"He wants to be back in F1 in 2011 but with all the money he has earned he doesn't want to go in a medium-type team for money," Robertson added.

"The same criteria would apply as this year - he'd only go where he feels he has a chance of the world championship."

Asked whether Button's appearance on the market had wrecked Raikkonen's hopes at McLaren, Roberston said: "If they hadn't gone for Jenson, they'd have gone for someone else."

Raikkonen, who won the world title for Ferrari in 2007, was forced out of Ferrari at the end of this season to make way for Fernando Alonso, despite already having a year left on his contract.

Raikkonen is being paid a sum believed to be in the region of 20m euros not to race for Ferrari in 2010, but still wanted to be paid what he felt was a fair sum to drive for another team.

Robertson would not confirm the Ferrari payment, describing the arrangements with Ferrari as "confidential".

Although he won the Belgian Grand Prix, Raikkonen's final season with Ferrari was a disappointment, with car that was never the fastest in the field.

He said: "Kimi wanted a winning car, only McLaren could supply that and he only had them in his sights. He didn't want another year like this one.

"But they had their issues with Mercedes, Santander and the FIA and from a financial point of view they are not the powerhouse they were. They couldn't afford him."

Mercedes announced on Tuesday that they were selling back their 40% shareholding in McLaren and buying the Brawn team instead.

Spanish bank Santander will sponsor Ferrari next year, although they will still retain a smaller presence with McLaren.

And governing body the FIA in 2007 fined McLaren $100m (then £49m) after they were found guilty of possessing confidential Ferrari technical information.

Asked how Raikkonen felt about the temporary end of an F1 career that started in 2001 and in which he won 18 grands prix, Robertson said: "He's one of those guys who moves on quickly - he just said 'now we concentrate on rallying'.

A McLaren spokesman refused to comment on Robertson's remarks.

[hackerjack]

So then, so far we have:

Mercedes/Brawn: ?, ? (Rosberg 99% sure)

Ferrai: Alonso, Massa, (Fissichella testing)

McLaren: Hamilton, Button

Red Bull: Webber, Vettel

Williams: Baricello, Hulkenburg

Renault (If they race): Kubica, ?

Force India: ?, ? (Sutil and Liuzzi 99% sure)

STR: Buemi, ? (Aljesuari 99% sure)

Manor: Glock, ?

Campos: Senna, ?

Lotus: ?, ?

USGPE: ?, ?

So most of the field is now played out, Button was the last major name to be seated and assuming Rosberg is announcd later today at Merc (most likely given the chain today) the focus now shifts to the middling drivers.

The prime seat is of course at Mercedes, who I'm betting are wishing they could have hung onto Barricello given how things have worked out now. Favourite is of course Nick Heidfeld, former Merc young driver, expereinced and safe choice, German. But I wouldn't be surpised to see them hang on for a little bit yet and look at other options. Adrian Sutil could be an interesting choice, again German but an up and comer in relation to Heidfeld, he is certainly quick enough but whether he can hold it together is teh question. Then there's Kubica, I know he's signed for Renault but given that they don't even know if they are racing yet and certainly have no idea of budget then he could be bought out. The other interesting thing here is whether they really thik they can gt Vettel in 2011 or 2012 because that could well imapct thir driver choice now.

If Sutil doesn't go to Merc then he will certainly be retained at Force India, probably with Liuzzi alongside him and STR will almost certainly confirm Aljesuari again based ont heir public statements about him so far.

Campos are thought to be signing either Pedro de la Rosa or Pascal Maldonado to race alongside Senna, the hold up there is likely regarding when de la Rosa will be available from due to his testing role with McLaren. Lotus have said they have signed a driver already, if it's not Fauzy then I expect he will get theri second seat along with sponsorship from Petronas. Now that Manor have announced Glock they will probably pick up a lesser light for the second seat with Anthoney Davidson heading the list.

That leaves USGPE and Sauber/Toyota as the only two completely unknowns for me.

Kovelainnen, Nakajima and Trulli still have no drive and no obvious strong rumours though Trulli is taking part in a NASCAR test "for fun" this month. Other drivers like Sato, Klien, Caroll, Wurz, Petrov (with his sponsorship), De Resta, Paffatt, Montagny and a bunch of Americans have been linked at times so tehre is a lot of playing yet top do. Things might go quiet (other than Rosberg) for a few weeks now though while Renault make their decision and the FIA decide between Toyota and Sauber.

[hackerjack]

Refer to my previous comments about why I am not "jizzing in my pants"

I am not 100% happy about this at all, yeah fan-dabi-dozi that Button will be in a supposedly competitive car next year, one that has only really been competitive for Lewis.

Kovalainen is no doubt a fan-dabi-dozi driver and even beat the likes of Michael Schumacher at the Race of Champions a few years ago, but the car didn't suit his driving style and he played second fiddle to Hamilton so his career has suffered. I sincerely hope that this doesn't happen to Button now. Hamilton doesn't have the sharing, fuzzy team mate feel.

I wish I could be excited about this 100% awesome British team, but I can't get rid of this nagging feeling that Jenson is going to suffer because of it.

I'm not so sure about most of that. Yes the style of the car didn't suit Kovelainnen but then that is also a sign that he is completely incapable of driving a car that doesn't. Style or not he should have been closer to Hamilton if he is a truly top driver. Button depends on his drivign style more than most but is still capable of pulling out good finishes in a car that doesn't suit him. He will suffer alongside Hamilton yes in some sense, but I think he will still finish higher than he would do if he stayed at Brawn. I just don't believe that Brawn/Merc can offer a car that will be as good as (or at least stay as good as) the McLaren in 2010, before th takeover they didn't have the budget, since it they will have major upheavel this year. They might look good for 2011 onwards but the rumour is also that Merc only offered him a 1 year deal with the option on their side for a second. Staying under those terms made little sense when he was offered 3 years at McLaren.

And McLaren aren't a one driver team, never have been, they will work to make teh car as fast as possible for both, if they lean towards one or the other it will be base on who they think is fastest, if Button can convince then thats him then he will gt the car he wants.

[Rich]

Refer to my previous comments about why I am not "jizzing in my pants"

I am not 100% happy about this at all, yeah fan-dabi-dozi that Button will be in a supposedly competitive car next year, one that has only really been competitive for Lewis.

Kovalainen is no doubt a fan-dabi-dozi driver and even beat the likes of Michael Schumacher at the Race of Champions a few years ago, but the car didn't suit his driving style and he played second fiddle to Hamilton so his career has suffered. I sincerely hope that this doesn't happen to Button now. Hamilton doesn't have the sharing, fuzzy team mate feel.

I wish I could be excited about this 100% awesome British team, but I can't get rid of this nagging feeling that Jenson is going to suffer because of it.

I'm not so sure about most of that. Yes the style of the car didn't suit Kovelainnen but then that is also a sign that he is completely incapable of driving a car that doesn't. Style or not he should have been closer to Hamilton if he is a truly top driver. Button depends on his drivign style more than most but is still capable of pulling out good finishes in a car that doesn't suit him. He will suffer alongside Hamilton yes in some sense, but I think he will still finish higher than he would do if he stayed at Brawn. I just don't believe that Brawn/Merc can offer a car that will be as good as (or at least stay as good as) the McLaren in 2010, before th takeover they didn't have the budget, since it they will have major upheavel this year. They might look good for 2011 onwards but the rumour is also that Merc only offered him a 1 year deal with the option on their side for a second. Staying under those terms made little sense when he was offered 3 years at McLaren.

And McLaren aren't a one driver team, never have been, they will work to make teh car as fast as possible for both, if they lean towards one or the other it will be base on who they think is fastest, if Button can convince then thats him then he will gt the car he wants.

You're kidding right? they have been a one driver team for the past 2 seasons and then once Prost left them in the 80's through til 1993 they were a one driver team with Ayrton Senna, as much as I love Gerhard Berger it couldn't be seen any other way and Michael Andretti was a joke, and sadly for Button hamilton could be this generations Senna. And of course car handling is important, look at Fischella this season he was second to Raikonnen in a Ferrari in the Force India at Spa, and then when he moves to the unfamiliar car that doesn't suit him and is the team mate of Kimi he is nowhere near the pace as the car doesn't suit him.

I would agree with you about Brawn/Merc not having as good a car in 2011, but we are talking about a Brawn car this year that wasn't as good as it could have been at the start of the year as the car wasn't designed with the Mercedes engine in mind, but with a Honda engine yet they still dominated. Also NEVER EVER discount Ross Brawn and his genius, the guy must be the best designer/engineer of the past 20 years at least in F1, if he's not the best he is deifinitely in the top one.

I am just skeptical about Button changing team, its been very rare in the future for a World Champion to change teams and be successful in the subsequent season. Alonso wasn't, Schumacher wasn't, Hill wasn't , Prost wasn't, etc... Its why I worry more than anything.