Button to Williams for 2005

After all the speculation Williams have signed Jenson Button for 2005 and beyond. Who saw that coming? Didn't we all think he was contracted to BAR? Sly and clever move by Sir Frank.

Wow wow wow. Does Richards have anyone better in the pipeline then?

Hats of to Williams, a shrewd move.

Holy cow. I just saw it on Teletext and had to re-read it to make sure I hadnt made a mistake.

DR must be enraged.

So it's Button and Webber at Williams. Place your bets please, gentlemen.

$5 on Webber :)

Richards must be in consultation with this lawyers as we speak :lol:

Extremely slick move. I hated to see JPM leave. Letting Ralph go was a very good move. Signing Jensen makes me :) happy :) happy :) happy. I was afraid that they were going to do something stupid and bring Jacques back. :cheers: Williams-BMW for doing the right thing this time.

Well, now we see, I think, old British F3 teammates Takuma Sato and Athony Davidson reunited in anger in F1.

Although rumor has it Mika Hakkenein has tested with BAR.

Really, though, it's a shame Jenson is leaving the growing BAR team for the stumbling Williams squad. Though Williams may have their collective sh*t together next season and give truly good machinery to Webber and Button. Lord knows those two deserve it more than Whine Pablo Montoya and Ralfie.

Richards must be in consultation with this lawyers as we speak :lol:

Yes he is :) (http://www.f1central.net/news/1091760543.html) He must look a decade older after yesterday too.


Jenson Button's switch from BAR to Williams might not be as straightforward as the news headlines suggest, it emerged in the wake of the official announcement.

Brackley-based principal David Richards, who has spent the season talking up Jenson's future championship bid, said he had been 'utterly shaken' last night.

He reckons Honda-powered BAR had the 24-year-old under firm contract.

Media reports suggest Button's management, led by John Byfield, found an 'out' clause in his '05 contract offering a release if Honda was not committed to BAR.

Other reports quoted Richards as utterly furious at the move.

Frank Williams told BBC radio that BAR's 'option' on Button expired recently. ''[Button's] management called and said it's no longer valid,'' he explained.

''They said 'would you be interested in his services?'''

The knighted team principal continued: ''I think BAR probably wanted to take up the option [on him] but whether [they did] or not will come out in due course.''

Sources said the issue is to be referred to the FIA's 'contracts recognitions board' for adjudication, but last night Richards just wanted to talk to his man.

He said he had tried, without success, to phone Button for over 24 hours.

Richards threateninglegal action (http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=21894)

JB's gonna have to deal with a lot of hostility til the end of the season and i dont envy him one bit...









Well, maybe a little bit :D

[QUOTE=crayzayjay]JB's gonna have to deal with a lot of hostility til the end of the season and i dont envy him one bit...

Never thought about that. Maybe Jenson and Williams should have kept their mouths shut until after the season was over.

I can't help feeling slightly annoyed by all of this. I had a lot of hope for BAR and Jensen next season.

I pray BAR comes out with good drivers next season if they really do lose Button.

I've lost most of the respect i had for him. What a shitty thing to do to DR and BAR, who rescued his F1 career. I hope Webber slaughters him next year

Very dissapointed with Button!

I am slightly annoyed at this too.

It's really pretty shitty of him to do this to DR, considering some of the stuff DR has said about JB, which I beleive was genuine and not the usual shit.

At least Head will put him in his place if he plays up.

CRB acknowledges Button-BAR contract
The BAR team released a statement on Tuesday, saying that the Contract Recognition Board (CRB) has acknowledged their contract with driver Jenson Button for next year.

...


So where does Button go?

As for that rumour, it would be great to see Mika back; even better so [for me] on BAR!

Smoke and mirrors. Sure BAR may have the only contract lodged with the CRB right now, but that doesn't mean it is watertight or enforceable. Given that slavery is generally percieved as a bad thing there is no way BAR can force Button to drive for them next year. All the laywers have to do is sort out a suitable financial compensatin deal to whoever has been "wronged". At the very worst Button could be forced to take fully paid "gardening leave" I wonder if he will drive for BAR at the Hungaroring this weekend?

Far from feeling Richards has been hard done by, the guy deserves it all and much more besides IMHO...

FIA is behind BAR (http://www.news24.com/News24/Sport/More_Sport/0,,2-9-32_1570706,00.html)


FIA back BAR in Button fight
10/08/2004 15:17 - (SA)

...

London - The row over Jenson Button's move to Williams took a new twist on Tuesday as BAR, the British Formula One driver's current team, claimed the sport's contract body had ruled in their favour.
BAR's case was strengthened on Tuesday by a ruling from the FIA, Formula One's governing body, which the team released. It read: "The FIA contract recognition board acknowledged in writing that, as of today (Tuesday), the BAR contract with Jenson Button is the only valid contract registered for the 2005 season."

Should the board maintain their stance, Button will either have to drive for BAR next season or sit out the campaign.

I have lost a respect for that man and this statment defines why I think so little of him ~ David richards "To be treated like this is dumbfounding,"
"We are utterly shaken by this. I have got 400 people who worked there socks off night and day and the guy who gets all the credit and drinks champagne turns around and ditches them!

One of the people he let down and ditched was my uncle :disappoin I have lost all respect for that man.

Pfft.. Richards and BAR managers before him ditched the likes of Zonta, Panis and Villeneuve with no concern. In the WRC he did drivers like Markko Martin no favours. This time the boot is on the other foot and Richards should take it like a man.

I think BAR will lose, simply because Richards is making such a fuss, purely as a face saving exercise with Honda. If he was certain he had a watertight contract he'd simply point the facts out to Button and his management, they'd concur, end of story. Instead he is trying to blame the situation on Button's imagined treason when it is really all due to Richard's own screw up.

Oh come now, Raider, "l'enfant terrible" was a cancer to BAR/Honda and we both know it.

Ditching him was a very sound decision. All he was there for was to get sponsorship dollars and media attention. The fact that he was so PR unfriendly just added to his worthlessness at BAR.

Im dont care about richards @ all its the people who work there ass of for him night and day that im pissd about for. If he had a problem with him he should have asked for new managment and told the world what a dick richards is not ditch the team like that.

How melodramatic can you get :screwy: Button is just a driver, as was Villeneuve. BAR would not have existed without Jacques, but once he was surplus to requirements Richards ditched him. Boo-bloody-ho. As I recall Richards was unreasonably acrimonious towards Villeneuve as well. Jacques was statesmanlike in comparison.

As for the workers, how are they affected? Remember it was them who built the car and gave the drivers success, not the other way round. They know that any competent driver behind the wheel should allow them to continue their success, provided next year’s car is as good (and the competition is as poor, Ferrari excepted). Although it is still early days for the team, so it could be equally likely this year was a fluke and BAR will never be as competitive again. But that will be nothing to do with Button.

Im not being melodramtic im jus sayin the truth.

No, you are stating your opinion. None of us here know the truth at this stage. And we probably never will.

I dont worry ill get the truth. My uncle high up in B.A.R hes not just a reg team worker. Ill ask him 2night whats goin on with this endless inflation of media and facts & lies I will find the truth.

That would be great to hear how people inside the team view the "controversy". But more importantly, how is next year's car coming along? :)

That would be great to hear how people inside the team view the "controversy". But more importantly, how is next year's car coming along? :)

Ill ask him tommorow cause its 9 30 there he has a little 7 year old I dont want to wake the little 1 lol. Ill get back to every1 tommorow on it. No minds the uhh true statements on the matter right (profanty etc)

it all boils down to loyalty and respect..
it looks like Button has no respect or loyalty for his team (nevermind DR)..if he did he would have finished out his contract then switched...

these mechanics and factory workers give up their lives and work their tails off for there driver and this is the way he repays them...shame on him...

*on another note...
when is ferrari going to wise up and dump barrichello?

it all boils down to loyalty and respect..
it looks like Button has no respect or loyalty for his team (nevermind DR)..if he did he would have finished out his contract then switched...

these mechanics and factory workers give up their lives and work their tails off for there driver and this is the way he repays them...shame on him...

*on another note...
when is ferrari going to wise up and dump barrichello?

THANK YOU! :iceslolan

But barrichello is a good blocker thats y ferrari keeps him so he slows every1 else down while schumi pulls in the lead but now ever1's engine just goes out so I guess they should dump barrichello.

Miki would never come back- it would take him a season or two just to readjust.

Miki? Biason? Yeah, probably would take him a while to adjust. Not used to all those flat roads for a start. :screwy:

Is Mika ever gonna come back he was one of my faves.

I would like to see him crying in the bushes again, so yeah, I hope so :D

Miki? Biason? Yeah, probably would take him a while to adjust. Not used to all those flat roads for a start. :screwy:

Now now...