02/08/2005
NEWS STORY
One driver who will be watching the ongoing Button saga with interest is Anthony Davidson, test driver with the Brackley outfit.
The BAR tester, the fifth busiest driver in F1 tests this season, looked set to replace Button this year when the Englishman attempted to move to WilliamsF1. However, when the Contract Recognition Board (CRB) found in favour of the Brackley team, 'Ant' was forced to endure another season as 'understudy', though he did get to replace Takuma Sato in Malaysia when the Japanese driver was taken ill.
WilliamsF1 were keen to offer Davidson a role in 2005 though this was vetoed by BAR, however, ironically, in recent weeks there has been talk of the Brackley team offering Davidson's services to WilliamsF1 as part of the Button 'sweetener package'.
As if times weren't fraught enough for the 26-year-old, Davidson suffered further problems last week when Pitpass 'revealed' his imminent marriage to former Jaguar Press Officer, Jane Stewart.
Sadly, the news of the forthcoming wedding didn't go down too well with Davidson's fiancée Carrie Bond, who must have wondered whether the love of her life was 'doing a Button' and wriggling out of his 'contract'.
Pitpass is happy to report that it got things arse-about-face (as ever), and that Anthony and Carrie are very much an item. Apparently, Jane and Carrie heard about the error and found it highly amusing.
Sadly however, the wedding has been put off until 2006, though we are assured that this had nothing to do with Pitpass' faux pas. Let's hope that Anthony has a regular race seat by then, giving the couple something else to celebrate.
Talking of which... whatever happened to that move to Sauber to replace Villeneuve?