Button banned from McLaren activities by Brawn

Brawn GP will not allow world champion Jenson Button to be involved in any team activities for McLaren before the end of the year.

Brawn hold Button to contract

• Button banned from working with McLaren until January• 'Clearly loyalty would be nice,' says Nick FryThe depth of anger felt by Brawn at Jenson Button's move to McLaren was put on public display today when the team announced they would hold him tightly to the letter of his contract until the end of the year.Button signed for McLaren this week after negotiations to remain with Brawn seemed to be dragging on for what the 29-year-old driver and his management team concluded was an excessively protracted period.Brawn have responded in the only way remaining to them by forbidding Button even to take part in a press conference with McLaren, their sponsors or his new team-mate Lewis Hamilton until the end of 2009.Over the years it has generally been the convention among Formula One teams to permit drivers who are leaving them at the end of any particular season to start working for their new employer after the final race of the year. As an example, Fernando Alonso was permitted to attend a Ferrari celebration day ahead of joining the Italian team at the start of 2010 despite being contracted to Renault until December 31.Brawn, however, have insisted that Button will not be permitted to assume any duties for McLaren, whether on or off the track, before the end of next month. "Jenson will not be doing anything at all for McLaren until the end of this calendar year," said Nick Fry, the Brawn team's chief executive officer."And if he does, we will be looking on it very dimly. He didn't have any obligations to us in 2010, but there are issues with regard to the [McLaren contract] signing process on which we are in discussion with him at the moment. There are other constraints on what Jenson can do between now and the end of the year which we will be rigorously enforcing."Fry had earlier claimed on autosport.com that Button had not received a better financial offer from McLaren and might even be moving to Brawn's Woking-based rivals for less money than the winners of the world championship constructors' title had tabled."I am actually earning less that I've been paid with Brawn," Button said on BBC Radio 5 yesterday afternoon said. "But things change and people move on. I always want a new challenge and I know that it is going to be difficult going up against Lewis."Either of the teams would have been able to give me a car capable of defending my world championship but I feel I need something else. It's definitely not for the money but because I want to experience something new."Nevertheless, it is clear that Fry considers Button to have been disloyal over his new career move and concedes that they feared the possibility of doing a deal with him began to evaporate last weekend after his Friday visit to the McLaren headquarters, as revealed exclusively by The Guardian."Clearly loyalty would be nice," said Fry waspishly, "but in this day and age you don't expect too much of that. I am always happy when any employee leaves our company if they are going to a better job, and they always go with our blessing if that is the case. In this situation we don't see the logic of the decision and I think Jenson is going to have to up his game if he is going to beat Lewis on home territory."Jenson ButtonBrawnMcLarenFormula OneMotor sportAlan Henryguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Button proud of all-British partnership

Jenson Button vowed to make the United Kingdom proud after joining Lewis Hamilton at McLaren to form an all-British line-up.

McLaren's 'epic history' lures Button

• 'It feels unbelievable to finally be a part of it,' says Button• World champion praises 'wonderfully gifted' HamiltonThere is no mystery as to why Jenson Button decided to sign for McLaren to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton. A quick stroll down the central gallery at the team's headquarters near Woking, between ranks of classic racing cars that helped build a reputation second only to Ferrari, might not have clinched the deal but it certainly made the 2009 world champion think."You can't help but be affected by this team's phenomenal history," said Button today after finalising a three-year-deal. "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 One – 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. 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. No, I was equally struck by the ambition, the motivation and the winning spirit that flow through everybody there. Then there's the team's epic history, the trophy cabinets seem to stretch for miles."Button said of his new team-mate: "It's 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 One driver. There's plenty we can learn from each other."This mood of delight was shared by Martin Whitmarsh, the McLaren team principal who joined the organisation in 1989, the second and final season of the partnership between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. A battle-hardened veteran of the pit wall, Whitmarsh knows that McLaren has always thrived when two world class drivers go against each other.The unprecedented prospect of two British McLaren drivers battling for victory in their home grand prix further heightens the anticipation surrounding the British grand prix on a day that Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd, who originally hoped to stage the race at Donington Park from 2010, was put into administration."Everybody at McLaren is absolutely delighted to be able to welcome Jenson to our team," said Whitmarsh. "It has always been our policy to employ the two very best possible drivers – and in Jenson and Lewis we feel we not only have the fastest pairing on the 2010 grid but also the two most complete, professional and dedicated drivers in Formula One."Moreover I'm confident that we'll be able to successfully balance and harness Jenson's and Lewis's complementary skill-sets. Our engineers are already looking forward to working with Jenson and I'm convinced that such a strong and dynamic driver line-up will make us an even more complete and competitive operation."I want to make clear that Jenson's decision to join us was in no way motivated by money. We'll be paying him no more than he could be getting elsewhere and that fact is a reflection of not only Jenson's belief in McLaren but his desire and ambition to build on the phenomenal results he achieved during the 2009 season."On leaving Brawn Button said: "I wish all my old Brawn GP mates well in their new Mercedes Grand Prix adventure just as I hope they'll wish me well."Jenson ButtonMcLarenLewis HamiltonFormula OneMotor sportAlan Henryguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

McLaren confirm signing of Button

• Button joins from reigning constructors champions Brawn GP • Confirmation follows conclusion of talks on MondayMcLaren have confirmed that they have signed Jenson Button on a "multi-year deal" to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton in an all-English line-up next season.As reported by the Guardian on Monday, Button will line up alongside Hamilton after parting company with the reigning constructors champions Brawn GP, who were the subject of a takeover by Mercedes-Benz earlier this week."Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is delighted to announce the signing of the reigning world champion Jenson Button to a multi-year deal," the McLaren team said in a statement."He will be partnered by the 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton, who will be embarking on his fourth consecutive season as a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver."Jenson ButtonMcLarenFormula OneMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

F1 champ Button teams up with Hamilton at McLaren

Formula One champion Jenson Button signed with McLaren on Wednesday to partner with Lewis Hamilton, giving the English team a potent lineup for next season