The possibility of Jenson Button joining McLaren Mercedes next season grew stronger on Friday after the Formula One world champion was given a guided tour around the team’s headquarters in Woking.
If Button turns his back on Brawn GP, for whom he won this year’s world title, to sign for McLaren he will team up with Lewis Hamilton to form British motor racing’s dream ticket. McLaren would be the first team with two world champions competing alongside each other since they paired Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1989.
Button and Richard Goddard, his manager, were escorted around the Surrey plant by Martin Whitmarsh, the McLaren team principal.
“As I’ve said many times before, Jenson wants to drive a car which is capable of winning the next world championship,” Goddard said. “We’ve been talking about possible terms for 2010 with Brawn for months and we are not being difficult or unreasonably expensive in our demands. In fact, we’ve given up quite a lot of negotiating ground in our discussions.”
A McLaren spokesman said: “Having just arrived at Heathrow, Jenson made a small detour to Woking to say hello.”
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The world champion has been seeking a new contract at Brawn worth at least £8 million a year after taking a £5 million pay cut this year to help the team to stay in business.
It is understood that Button has moved to the top of McLaren’s wanted list for next season over the past couple of months, with Whitmarsh and his fellow directors impressed by the Briton’s tenacity in regaining his form to round off the season with outstanding drives in the Brazilian and Abu Dhabi grands prix.
McLaren have made Kimi Raikkonen their second choice if the approach to Button fails, with Nick Heidfeld third favourite. McLaren also played host to Raikkonen on Wednesday, when the 2007 world champion visited their base with his managers, David and Steve Robertson.
Niki Lauda, who won the last of his three world championships with McLaren in 1984, had a word of warning for Button if the 29-year-old decides to change teams.
“One of the problems faced by drivers today is that there is generally less money around in the business than there was,” Lauda said. “So if I was Jenson, I would try to stay with Brawn even if Ross might pay him slightly less than McLaren. Of course, if McLaren are going to pay a lot more, then he must go.
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“But the other thing he must consider is that it is Lewis’s team and he needs to be sure he has the confidence to deal with this. It is a tough decision for Jenson and he needs to think it through carefully.”
If Button did join McLaren, he would want to do so on equal footing with Hamilton. McLaren, though, are known for giving their drivers parity of equipment and allowing them to race unfettered for grand prix wins and the world championship.