Button told McLaren move would be 'mistake'

World champion’s likely deal to join Hamilton may leave him second-best

If the great, good and powerful of Formula One are to be believed, Jenson Button will be making a big mistake if, or as seems increasingly likely, when, he leaves Brawn GP and moves to McLaren.

Button himself has given the impression of being far from sure he is doing the right thing. During meetings at the McLaren Technology Centre on Friday afternoon and Monday evening, the world champion sought assurances he would receive exactly the same treatment as Lewis Hamilton, who in his three years as a driver has become very much the team's favourite son.

Not unexpectedly, he received those assurances. While Hamilton is regarded with real affection at Woking, his father Anthony, who also acts as his son's manager, is not so popular. The feeling in some quarters is that Hamilton's ascendancy over his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen has been so marked over the past two seasons that it would be no bad thing for both driver and those who represent his commercial interests to remember the team does not revolve solely around one man.

From a marketing point of view, however, pairing Hamilton with Button is a no-brainer. As young and good-looking British world champions with glamorous girlfriends, they tick an awful lot of boxes for sponsors, and Button knows as much. One of his and manager Richard Goddard's concerns has been to establish a limit on the amount of PR and sponsorship work that McLaren would expect for paying him between around £6m and £7m a year for the next three years. A figure, incidentally, that is not much more than half what Hamilton receives.

According to some sponsorship and marketing experts, Button could actually make more if he were to accept Brawn GP's offer of £4m plus the freedom to take personal endorsements.

He may yet do so, but the signs are that Brawn's refusal to increase their offer, even after being bought out by Mercedes – a deal that has made shareholders in the team a great deal of money – has disappointed Button sufficiently for it to have become a matter of principle.

Having agreed to his pay being cut from £8m to £3m when Honda withdrew, and it seemed the team was in danger of going under, he feels the part he played in winning the team the world championship in its maiden, and it turns out only, season, is deserving of greater material recognition.

There are still some, including Bernie Ecclestone, who do not believe it will happen. "Button and Brawn are probably just sparring and something will be worked out," the sport's billionaire commercial rights controller said yesterday.

But Murray Walker, who has watched all ten British F1 world champions race, and been friends with most, thinks that while Ross Brawn himself would like to keep Button on board, Mercedes, despite insisting they want to run an international team, do not. "The problem is, I don't really think he has a choice now, although I would fear for Jenson in what is very much Lewis Hamilton's team, "the respected veteran television commentator said last night.

"For me Lewis could turn out to be one of the all-time greats," said Walker. "It's still early days, and of course he's only been champion once and has a long, long way to go. But he satisfied another of my criteria of greatness this year, by proving he can fight and improve the car when it's not quick.

"For me, at the present moment Jenson is in the Nigel Mansell and John Surtees category of driver, very talented, but perhaps not quite up there with the likes of Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart."

The drivers' market did shrink by one yesterday, when Manor GP confirmed the young German Timo Glock, who impressed with Toyota last season, would lead their new team. Glock had been one of those tipped as a possible partner for Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. If Button does go to McLaren, Rosberg will probably be partnered by another German, Nick Heidfeld.

Q&A: Is the world champion worth fighting for?

Q. Isn't Button on record saying he didn't care about the money?

A. He is, and to be fair, he may genuinely feel McLaren would give him a better chance of winning races next season than Brawn. Sorry, Mercedes.

Q. OK, but is he really worth fighting over?

A. Debatable, at least as far as McLaren concerned. Good though Button is, Kimi Raikkonen, who knows the team inside out and is himself a former world champion, would probably do a better job if they want to hit the ground running next season. But Raikkonen wouldn't sell as many phone contracts.

Q. So is it all about phones?

A. McLaren's main sponsor is Vodafone. In fact, the team's official name is Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

Q. Do they have anything to do with that TV ad when a little model Hamilton drives a Scalextric car?

A. That's Abbey, another sponsor. If Button signs, no doubt he'll be featuring soon. Just think of the possibilities.

Q. Can commercial considerations possibly be a factor in their decision?

A. The team would deny it.

Q. Mmm. Well, anyway, if Ross Brawn is going fishing, he must be super confident Button is staying.

A. Either that, or he's not too bothered. He knows next season is going to be much harder whoever is behind the wheel, and let's face it, he's had a pretty rewarding week whatever happens.

Q. So when will the saga end? With all this going round in circles and nothing changing, it's starting to feel like watching a Grand Prix.

A. The "word" from McLaren is Button will sign a three-year deal later this week.

Q. And the word from Brawn?

A. The fish are taking the bait.