Button becomes
Hamilton's teammate
Jenson Button will move to McLaren-Mercedes next season
to join compatriot and fellow world champion Lewis Hamilton, the
team has confirmed.
The announcement of a multi-year deal between Button and McLaren
follows weeks of feverish speculation about the champion's future,
which was heightened when he paid a visit to the McLaren factory
last Friday.
Although Button was initially expected to remain with the Brawn
team that took him to the 2009 title, talks with Ross
Brawn's squad reached an impasse over the issue of Button's salary.
The Briton had taken a pay cut to help the team when Honda's exit
left it in a delicate financial position, but now sought a
wage increase having clinched the championship - and given that
Brawn's finances would become more healthy following its takeover
by Mercedes-Benz.
"It's always a difficult decision to leave a team when you've been
there for so long," said Button. "But life is all about challenges
- and, most important of all, it's about challenging
yourself.
"So, although I won the world championship with Brawn GP last year,
and I'll never forget that, I was always adamant that I wanted to
continue to set myself fresh challenges. So that's why I've decided
to join Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.
"You can't help but be affected by this team's phenomenal history.
McLaren is one of the greats of world sport, and its achievements
and list of past champions read like a Who's Who of Formula 1 -
Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton
Senna, Mika Hakkinen and of course my new team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
I've followed the McLaren team ever since I was a small boy, and it
feels unbelievable to finally be a part of it."
McLaren had originally lined up Kimi Raikkonen to fill its
second seat, but these talks also broke down during pay
discussions, leading to Raikkonen's decision to take a
year off from Formula 1 next year, and leaving the way clear for
Button to take the vacant McLaren drive as he was unable to agree a
suitable deal with Brawn and Mercedes.
Button's move ends a seven year relationship with his
previous team, which he joined when it was still known as BAR in
2003, and stayed with through its difficult seasons under Honda
ownership prior to this year's fairytale success.
He said he had been deeply impressed by McLaren since beginning
talks with the squad.
"When I visited the McLaren Technology Centre earlier this month,
it wasn't simply the technical resources and the incredible
standards of excellence that impressed me," Button said. "No, I was
equally struck by the ambition, the motivation and the winning
spirit that flow through everybody there. And then there's the
team's epic history: put it this way, the trophy cabinets seem to
stretch for miles.
"From a personal point of view, it's also a great pleasure to be
joining a fellow British world champion. Lewis has achieved an
incredible level of success in a very short period of time, and
he's a wonderfully gifted driver who has earned the respect of
every Formula 1 driver. I'm sure there's plenty that we can learn
from each other, and I'm really looking forward to using our
combined knowledge to push the team forward."
With Button no longer in the frame, Nico Rosberg is expected to be
announced as Mercedes' lead driver for its new works F1 assault
with the erstwhile Brawn team, with Nick Heidfeld linked to the
second seat.
Button replaces Heikki Kovalainen at McLaren. The Finn took only
one win during his two seasons as Hamilton's team-mate, and
struggled for race pace this season despite some strong qualifying
performances.
