26/07/2005
NEWS STORY
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Having discussed the situation with a number of well-placed individuals within the past 24-hours my attitude towards Jenson Button and his current plight has altered greatly. Consequently I have dropped the original title - Button, great or ingrate? - and attempted to look at the bigger picture.
Let me begin by saying that Jenson has to be some sort of idiot, otherwise how could he (twice) find himself in this current situation, involved in what appears to an annual tug-of-war between WilliamsF1 and BAR?
Whether he has been badly advised or whether he's simply clueless when it comes to dealing with situations outside a racing car, we do not know, but the fact is that his image is not helped by such nonsense.
We know that there was a massive reshuffle of his management earlier in the year, brought on as a result of Buttongate 2004, with John Byfield and Russell King of Essentially Sport moving on to pastures new, and making way for Richard Goddard.
Then, on the grid at Silverstone, we saw Byfield and Russell with Jenson, and wondered whether the duo - clearly taking time out from their hectic Team Dubai F1 venture - was still involved with Jenson behind the scenes. The onset of Buttongate 2005 made us even more suspicious.
Now we learn that to all intents and purposes Byfield and King are no longer involved in Button's management, though like former manager David Robertson, who now looks after Kimi Raikkonen's interests, they will continue to receive a dividend from the Button 'cash cow'. They are not allowed to represent the Briton but they have "legally binding contracts" that will allow them a "financial tickle" for the next couple of years.
The whys and wherefores are unimportant, what is important is that Frank Williams is utterly convinced that he has a valid contract with Jenson Button for 2006 and beyond. To a certain extent, BAR agrees, but it wants to keep the Englishman, indeed it appears to want to build the team around him.
And there, caught in the middle, like a bunny in the headlights, is Jense.
BAR's Nick Fry assures us that Button wants to remain on board, we'll have to take his word for that since Jenson is keeping schtum - and not for the first time.
Amongst other things, Fry has claimed that by forcing Button to drive its cars, WilliamsF1 is breeching the driver's human rights. Well Nick, that's not for you to say, the only one who can say whether he feels his human rights are being breeched, and who can take action, is Jenson, whose lips remain tightly buttoned.
Anyone who saw Frank Williams talking about the situation on TV at the weekend will have seen the steely glint of utter determination in his eye. It's oft said that Frank, like partner Patrick Head, is one of the few racers remaining in the paddock, he is also one of the few traditionalists, a purist through and through. Too many times he has allowed potential champions to slip through his grasp, he is simply not prepared to let it happen again.
However, there is another reality. BMW is off, it's bought Sauber and from next season will go racing in its own right. With it, the German manufacturer takes not just its 'free' engines but all manner resources. Then there is also the question of sponsors such as Allianz, Castrol and HP, who all want to be involved with BMW rather than WilliamsF1 - not for racing's sake, but because of the manufacturer's raison d'etre, selling its road cars.
On the subject of HP, with the company recently shedding thousands of jobs, its departure from F1 has to be a case of when rather than if.
Therefore, WilliamsF1, which has yet to find an engine package for 2006, and faces the loss of a couple of sponsors, not to mention the need to dig deep and find money for its 2006 power-plants, is prepared to dig in it heels over a driver who doesn't (apparently) want to be there? I don't think so.
Let's get one thing absolutely crystal clear. Sir Frank cannot march Jenson into Grove for a seat fitting then subsequently order him into a car for 2006. The law in Britain will not force anyone to work for an employer against his will.
The best example of this is Adrian Newey, who joined Jaguar Racing in 2001. The deal was done and dusted and subsequently the press release was issued - at which point the excrement hit the fan.
The court case lasted less than half an hour and consequently the design guru was on his way back to McLaren. Yes a deal had been done, and Newey signed up, but then he had a change of heart. The ruling was quite simple, Newey could not be forced to work for an employer that he didn't want to work for, no matter what sort of contract he'd signed. That said, there was one proviso, such action can only be taken before you have begun working, once you've started it's too late. The same applies here, no matter what sort of contract Frank Williams has with Jenson Button, the driver cannot be forced into one of his cars.
No doubt, if this does go to court, and it most probably will, the judge will want to know why Button signed and why he subsequently had a change of heart. Again the answer is simple, when he signed the original contract - whatever and whenever that might have been - he wanted to drive for WilliamsF1. However, since then the circumstances have changed - namely, WilliamsF1 will not have an engine seriously capable of challenging for the 2006 World Championship - then again who will?
Add to this the fact that the team faces the prospect of losing a couple of important sponsors, plus other resources, and Button will be able to argue that his prospects are best served by remaining at BAR. Remember, this isn't about someone asking for more money, or some other ludicrous financial demand. This is about a Formula One driver, whose sole professional aim is to win the World Championship, being allowed to drive for the team that can best help him realise that ambition.
Button has handled the situation dreadfully, just as he did in 2004. However, now is the time for him to find some backbone and make a decision and stand by it. The longer this drags on the more damaging it will be for everyone concerned, not to mention the sport.
As for Sir Frank, well, like it or lump it his best solution is to come to terms with the fact that he's lost Button, even though he brought him into F1 in the first place, and ensure that if BAR really wants him, Honda pays through the nose for his services.
After that, might we suggest that Button gives serious consideration to anything he signs in future, we're absolutely certain that nobody wants to see Buttongate become an annual event.
Chris Balfe
Editor