07/08/2004
NEWS STORY
It's understood that Jenson Button will sit down for a meeting with BAR boss David Richards on Sunday.
Richards had previously set a Monday-night deadline for Button to explain his actions, or face the prospect of a legal fight.
Button's shock move to WilliamsF1 is understood to rest on a clause in his contract which essentially demanded that BAR had to be in a certain position in the constructors' championship at a certain stage in the world championship - believed to be at least 5th by the time of the French GP (they were 3rd) - and a concrete agreement (contract) guaranteeing that Honda would continue supplying engines to BAR. To all intents both conditions were met. Honda agreed an informal deal with BAR around the time of Silverstone, the deal being formally announced at Hockenheim.
That said, Button's management appear to have approached Frank Williams before the German GP, stating that the youngster was available, with the veteran team boss leaping at the idea.
The whole affair is very messy, and could backfire on Button even more so than it already has.
Although WilliamsF1 claims to have a watertight contract with Button, and says that it has acted on the information given to it by Button's management, this is no doubt under the assumption that what WilliamsF1 has been told is entirely correct.
David Richards is claiming that BAR's contract is equally watertight, and the Brackley outfit, with the full support of Honda's vast army of lawyers will fight this all the way - for the Japanese manufacturer this is about pride and honour.
There is the very real possibility that Button's management may have got it wrong, and that the youngster has been given bad advice. In this case, all will become clear in the next few days when all the interested parties sit down to argue the case and look at the fine print.
Whatever happens, Button has been damaged, certainly his wide-eyed boy-next-door image has suffered a major blow.
Button, talking to BBC Radio Five Live, Button said; "I'm not a legal expert, but based on the information I have I am able to drive a BMW Williams car next year." As naive as this sounds - regarding his legal expertise - the fact is that he doesn't need to be a legal expert, that's what he pays a large slice of his income to his management for, to manage his career and his legal affairs. If he has been wrongly advised he could be in a precarious position, and the words "based on the information I have" almost certainly relates to the information given him by his management.
In a 'worst case' scenario he could end up in a situation where he finds himself out of an F1 car for some time, and subject to legal attack from a number of sides. One only hopes, for his sake, that his management has got it right.