Mercedes hope to keep hold of Button

Mercedes will bow to Ross Brawn's wishes and negotiate to keep the world champion Jenson Button as a driver next season, a team source has confirmed.

Hamilton storms to pole for Italy GP

• McLaren's Hamilton on front row with Adrian Sutil• Button and Brawn team return to formPolitics ought to be put on hold for at least 90 minutes this afternoon as the Italian Grand Prix returns the emphasis to the 2009 championship rather than who might have affected the outcome of last year's race in Singapore. Crashing deliberately is unlikely to be a strategic part of 53 laps spent racing on the fastest track in Formula One, although even the best intentions could fall foul of the first chicane as 20 closely bunched cars attempt to negotiate the notorious bottleneck at 50mph.Lewis Hamilton is in the best position to avoid a repeat of his elimination on the first lap of the previous race in Belgium. Apart from starting from pole for only the second time this season, Hamilton will have additional help from his McLaren's Kers energy retention system on the 600-metre charge to the chicane. Kimi Raikkonen will be making similar use of the 6.6-second power boost as the Ferrari starts from third and tries to overhaul the Force India of Adrian Sutil, who is on second. Hamilton and Sutil, good mates and former adversaries in Formula Three, are unlikely to have their friendship tested if, as expected, Hamilton leaves the field standing."I'm really happy to see Adrian here," Hamilton said. "It's a long time since we've sat together in a press conference – at least four years. Qualifying was very close and it's such a great feeling to be able to put together a good lap. When you have a single shot right at the end of qualifying and it comes off, it's so exhilarating. I really didn't anticipate being on pole."Sutil had the same feeling even though Giancarlo Fisichella signalled the dawn of a dramatic improvement for Force India by taking pole two weeks ago at Spa. Sutil's previous best qualifying had been seventh for his home grand prix, otherwise the German had been more familiar with the back of the grid.Although using a Mercedes engine similar to Hamilton's McLaren, the Force India does not have Kers, a serious disadvantage at the start at Monza."The car is amazing, really quick, unbelievable," Sutil said. "It's such a different feeling in a car that gives you a chance. The good feeling of being a racing driver is back and being here with Lewis adds to that. After two years consistently at the back, you forget the feeling of fighting for pole and racing to win. You get the passion back and drive much easier with a smile on your face when at the front. But I must admit it's not the best feeling to have Kers cars around me at the start. We saw what happened in Belgium when my team‑mate lost the race."Sutil was referring to Fisichella being overhauled by Raikkonen's use of Kers at Spa, the only circuit similar to Monza in terms of requiring the cars to run minimum downforce, a set-up that suits the Force India and, to a lesser degree, the Brawn.Fifth and sixth fastest times for Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button was an indication of the extra fuel carried by the Brawns and disguised a timely return to form for the British team as the championship enters the final five races."I'm really happy with sixth position," Button said. "Rubens and I have been so close on lap times all weekend and he's ended up just fifteen-hundredths ahead of me, which is the difference between getting your head down on the straights [to reduce aerodynamic drag at 205 mph]. I obviously didn't do it enough!"We got the best out of the car today and it felt good on the heavy fuel load, which is important because it's not just about qualifying, you have to consider your race. It's been a positive day and I'm confident that we can have a good race."It has been a while since Button exuded such confidence at the end of qualifying, the leader of the championship poised to make the most of a one-stop strategy while the front three drivers stop twice. A pit stop at Monza can cost up to 28 seconds from leaving the track to rejoining."Rubens and Jenson drove extremely well with our chosen one-stop strategy to secure fifth and sixth positions," Ross Brawn said. "The closeness of their lap times shows that they achieved everything possible from the car. We have the majority of the Kers cars just ahead of us so, provided our drivers get a good start, there is everything to play for in the race."Button will also have been heartened by Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber struggling to match the pace of their championship rivals. The Red Bull pair have been restricted in mileage by Renault engine failures, which have eaten into the allocation of eight engines per driver for the season. The use of a ninth engine will bring a 10-place grid penalty."We'll see how the strategy pans out," Webber said. "We've got to try and grab everything we can now. I'm pretty happy with the job I did today but we're just lacking a bit of pace. We'll do what we can and salvage something from 10th – it's certainly possible."Depending which forecast you read, today's race could be similar to last year's and run in the rain. Vettel was unbeatable after starting from pole. Given Hamilton's record in wet conditions, the world champion is in the perfect position to win before the sport returns to less attractive business away from the race track.Lewis HamiltonFormula OneMotor sportMaurice Hamiltonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

An amazing year for Ross Brawn

Over the last 11 months, Ross Brawn and his team took a bad situation and transformed it into one of the most successful turnarounds in Formula One history: taking a nearly-folded operation, bringing it to double championship glory and then selling three quarters of the team to a world-renowned car manufacturer – and remaining in charge to top it off...  

Button's best future is with us, says Brawn

Ross Brawn broke his silence yesterday to publicly address rumours that Formula One world champion Jenson Button will join rival team McLaren next season.

Brawn rules out Schumacher return

• Nico Rosberg confirmed as first nominated Mercedes driver• Fellow German driver Nick Heidfeld likely to join RosbergMichael Schumacher's return to Formula One was effectively ruled out today when Nico Rosberg was confirmed as Mercedes-Benz's first nominated driver for next season's world championship.From the moment Jenson Button, having won the title for the team as Brawn, signed for McLaren last week there had been mounting speculation that Schumacher, who will be 41 next year, was considering a comeback to spearhead the official return of the "Silver Arrows" to grand prix for the first time since 1955.However, Ross Brawn, the Mercedes team principal, made it clear that Schumacher would not be picking up the threads of a full-time Formula One career that ended in 2006, even though he gave serious consideration to taking the role of temporary stand-in for the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari this year. This plan was thwarted by a neck injury sustained earlier in the year in a motorcycle testing crash."The issue now haunts the media, I know," Brawn told the German newspaper Bild, "but there is nothing in it. The media are trying to put together a dream. Michael would have returned to the cockpit for Ferrari but only temporarily. He has no ambitions to start a new career."If we get a combination of two equally strong drivers, then the strategy will be different than if you have a winner like Michael. Following Button's move to McLaren, we will think differently. My desire is to find two experienced drivers. Nico Rosberg has more than three years in Formula One, so I count him to be experienced."Brawn seemed to be steering speculation in the direction of Nick Heidfeld, another German driver, and one with 167 grand prix starts under his belt. "I do not want a novice who must find his way around racetracks because we have very few opportunities to test drivers now. Performance without much practice is therefore the task. The good thing is we are not in a hurry."Formula OneMichael SchumacherBrawnMotor sportAlan Henryguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Button expects to double his money

• New world champion wants to stay at Brawn• 'This team is not a one-hit wonder' says ButtonJenson Button is set to double his salary after winning the world championship in Brazil on Sunday. The Englishman wants to stay with Brawn to prove he is no "one-hit wonder" and become the first British driver to win back-to-back Formula One titles and he expects a significant pay rise to reflect his new status.Button took a £5m pay cut at the beginning of the season to help the Brawn team, who had risen from the ashes of Honda. He is believed to anticipate, at the very least, a return to the £8m level he had originally been promised for 2009. Button said yesterday that he wanted to stay with Brawn, having been with the team in its various forms since 2003."This team is not a one-hit wonder. And neither am I," said Button. "I would like to stay with Brawn. The team might have changed names and it might have shrunk in size but I love the atmosphere of this team and the way that we all pull together in the difficult times – and we've been through a lot of difficult times in the past. We've enjoyed our success and we'll enjoy this like you cannot believe."Button has been encouraged by the advanced plans for the 2010 Brawn-Mercedes under the highly-regarded team principal Ross Brawn. "They've been working for a long time on next year's car and I think that comes with good leadership," said Button. "Ross knows that winning the championship this year is so important for this team and for himself. But he also realises that we don't want to be a one-hit wonder. This is a team that's going to stay strong."I've read a couple of things in that people are very positive about what the team has achieved this season but they're expecting us to be a good team next season but not challenging for wins. I don't agree with that. I think you will see the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull at the front – and you will see the Brawn GP car at the front challenging for wins as well. I want to be a part of that. I want to arrive next season with No1 on my car – and I want it to be a Brawn."Button said he had not discussed his future with the team while focusing on winning the championship. Negotiations are unlikely to begin until after the final race in Abu Dhabi on 1 November. He will not demand wages on a par with Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 world champion who earns about £12m a year at McLaren."We've been waiting until now [winning the championship] to discuss the future. It's the perfect thing to do," said Button. "It was nice to be able to concentrate on every race this year, especially at this part of the season when maybe the car wasn't as competitive as it was earlier. To be able to focus on that and now that we've won the world championship we can start talking about the future."It's not about the money. I want to be with a team that can win. I have become world champion with a team that nobody ever thought would win the championship, especially in their first year but there are many things that we need to talk about. It's not 'I want this, you can't give this, but I want this.' It's just about coming to an agreement and starting talks for next season. We've achieved so much together, we respect each other very much and it's just that the talks haven't taken place; that's it, really."Nick Fry, a director of Brawn GP, said the Brackley-based team were just as keen to retain Button's services as he was to stay with them. "He wants to be with us and we'd like him to stay with us, so that is a good starting point," said Fry. "From that position then usually compromises can be found. I wouldn't like to say how far apart we are in money terms but it's a bridge that can be crossed.""It's great to win the world championship and every person that's done it will tell you that," said Button. "But to be able to defend it is exceptional. No British driver has ever won back to back titles – so that's an ambition.But at the moment I'm not thinking about that. At the moment I'm the 10th British world champion and in 2009 I'm the only Formula One world champion. And that's what I'm enjoying at the moment. I'm going to have a smile on my face for many, many more days. I'm not going to get into talks about next year right now; I'm just going to enjoy this moment."Formula OneJenson ButtonBrawnMotor sportMaurice Hamiltonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds