Gueswork is still guesswork.

No you have missed the point of my post. Henry will not be guessing he will be on an insider's (and a very reliable insider's) tip off. If it proves wrong he will have been suckered for bait. That is of course possible, just quite unlikely. Rae is not to my knowledge a connected insider with decades inside the McLaren factory which makes the credibility of the two on different planes. Doesn't make Henry's message a fact, just very likely. (And surprising IMO)

Rae never claimed contacts in McLaren - he was reporting from the Mercedes side of the fence.

I´m not sure whether Jensen had any option as to who he would drive for next year, or what he would be paid. Merc clearly wanted Heidfeld in the second car and I think Jensen was part of the Merc pull out deal with Mac. They will also announce him before Merc announce Heidfeld to make it look like it was Jensen´s decision.
There was always going to be more than just the odd snipe from the morons still living in the past regarding an all German team, but with Lewis and Jens in an all Brit team, any reference to German nationalism suddenly becomes irrelevant.
If I´m wrong and it is his own choice to leave Merc, then I say, hat´s of to the world champion for having the gonads to step into the lions den. I honestly believe he has the talent, ability and experience to handle Hamilton better than any other driver out there, including Kimi, who I now see retiring.
Of course it hasn´t been officially announced as yet, but Haug all but said on TV last night that JB would be moving to Mac, so that´s good enough for me. I think we are finally going to see how LH handles a driver he´d probably least like for a team mate. It´s going to be very interesting indeed.

What evidence is there of that? Mercedes have said that having two German drivers in their team is not a pre-requisite.

UPDATE, Deal will be likely completed within the next few days:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80178

Funny how most of the people in denial about this are Kimi fans.

I just get the impression that the TEAM want jenson but only have £xmillion budget and have asked for mercedes assistance but mercedes dnt want jenson as they planning a swoop for vettel in 2011 anyway. think about it. I am also convinced that he will only be offered a 1 year deal and if he is let go, where can he go? at least with mclaren he can be guranteed a good car for a good 2-3 year contract.

this one is touch and go will he stay or go

EDIT: it will be a 1 year contract on offer with a option of 2 DEPENDING if vettel moves to MGP in 2011 with rosberg

I hope this isnt true, well, really i hope to see Kimi in F1 next year, but Button to team with Lewis would be a good battle, one Lewis would win

Alan Henry is a good friend.....I have just this minute chatted on the phone with him.
There appears absolutely no doubt the JB is McLaren bound..........Alan has been a friend of Ron Dennis for nearly 40 years so
his sources will be impeccable.

who are u hipperson? lolz

it be intereting to see if its a 2-3 year contract as then its clear that brawn only had a 1 year deal for JB on instructions from MGP

you only started posting in the McLaren thread because you thought Kimi was going there...

But wow, a few months ago I never would've even thought of Button going to McLaren, now it seems quite possible

This has to be the biggest let down since Prison Break post season 1.

Good for Lewis though. He'll destroy yet another WDC

he should have taken the 1 year deal if he's confident in the car next season.

It's not a let down for me. I never wanted the ungrateful Kimi at McLaren. Jenson is better than Kimi anyway. Jenson has been loyal to his team for a long time and now they treat him like crap. He wants to go to team where he will be treated better. Welcome home McLaren! I am rooting for you.

Well, as I said last night, I saw an interview on German TV where Haug, when asked by the reporter if Heidfeld would be in the other seat, (as Rosberg was standing next to him it was self evident who one of the drivers will be) replied, "We are working on it."
Make of that what you will.

Which other WDC did he destroy?

Seems conclusive to me. AH has been around a long time and wouldn't be using the Guardian for red top esque guesswork.

Dunno how would I feel but did Merc really offer Rosberg 7M pounds?

[moved]

When was the last time that 2 British World Champions were in the same team, I wonder?

Button asking for more than £8 million from Brawn
17 November 2009

"The [Mercedes] switch comes as Jenson Button’s future at Brawn remains unresolved and amid signs that senior managers at the team are tiring of what they view as inaccurate and misleading briefings about the level of salary that Button has been offered to stay with a team with whom he captured this year’s World Championship.

Button is reported to have demanded £8 million for 2010; The Times understands he has been offered exactly that.

Button’s camp has claimed that he has been offered a salary of £4 million for 2010, a rise of gonly £1 million from his remuneration this year, when he took a voluntary £5 million pay cut to help the team after the buyout.

However, it was suggested yesterday by authoritative sources that Button has been offered the full £8 million and is trying to get more. Brawn managers are irritated that the new world champion seems to believe the advent of Mercedes means money is no object."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/for...icle6919293.ece

It's actually going to happen. Crazy stuff.

I wish I had a Kimi avatar so I could get all angry about it.

I doubt that, this goes against direct quotes from all other sources and Buttons manager...

plus I doubt Mclaren will be willing to pay anything more than 8mill for Button... especially now that Merc isnt there to split costs of driver salaries

Autosport also reported about this - and in the end final decision after Button. So still nothing for sure. Kimi even read actual contract and nothing happened.
But known Button(gate) I wouldn't be surprise if he really going to Mac.

Interesting if true. I'm willing to bet McLaren has offered him eight million as well and now he's soudning out what Mercedes' stance is. I bet he's done the same to McLaren as well.

I see no mention of what McLaren are offering Button in that piece. Other sources indicate a figure of 6 million from McLaren.

your words hurt me mon ami...

Early 1968?

(I'm not counting 1994 as Damon wasn't WDC yet that year)

I still hope for Kimi, as you do but the info is from Alan Henry

If that's true, why is Button supposedly pushing for more from McLaren when they're already offering him 25% more than McLaren?

I think that the fact Jenson already has a WDC, makes this an almost perfect solution for him.

He could beat Lewis to the title. And HE must believe he stands a chance. I'm with the popular opinion that Lewis is faster, but Button is no slouch himself, Lewis will have days when he makes mistakes or hits trouble and if Jenson can be close but consistent, he can beat Lewis to a title in a similar way to Prost beating Senna with less speed... Additionally, I wouldn't put a gulf of class between them, sure Lewis would have been in another league to Jenson if you take say his Abu Dhabi performance, but equally if Button can put Bahrain type performances in a McLaren, Lewis would have to go some to top that.

Basically, with the title in the bag, there is no pressure to win another one, whilst the decsion to race for McLaren comes with a high probability of a competitive car for 3 years - not a bad way to see out your career.

It seems the welfare brigade have gone all silent. Kimi chooses to retire over $2m and he's a golddigger scumbag. Button leaves the team which poured everything into him for a similar amount, and...?

So grunge where are you now ???? ahahaha, well bad for kimi bad for jenson. Jenson will get a good car but he will be destroyed totally and i can not see him beeing there three years to get his ass royally spanked. Also it will show he only won because of a far superior car

McLaren or Mercedes, Button's going to be in safe hands. But I'm hoping for Mercedes - I think they have more soul than McLaren.

same here, unless some sponsor is willing to subsidies his salary.

IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE WORLD CHAMPION THAT SO MANY HERE CLAIMED 'UNDESERVING' IS BEING FOUGHT OVER HARD BY TWO TOP TEAMS.

Good for Jenson.

Whenever Jenson has plonked his arse into a competitive car, he has delivered.

It's the other way around, Button stayed loyal to the team for years, took a massive pay cut to save the team, won them the WDC and WCC and yet the team refuses to reward his justly. Buttom is looking for someone who will treat him right.

KR on the other hand keeps saying he wants to be in F1 but all his actions show him to be a golddigger.

Quite some money for Button. We will see how he performs H2H against Lewis.

H2H

Fixed

Button

+1 agree

Yes! Just who we needed here! An obvious fake, but still, nice cameo appearance.

I think Button probably thinks that Mercedes should be paying more. It made sense that Brawn couldn't afford to pay him a king's ransom because they were operating on a shoestring. But now they are a manufacturer team, I think he's right to expect a bump to his retainer. He is world champion after all.

If McLaren are willing to pay him what he wants, he should go for it. What's the worst that could happen? If he gets destroyed by Hamilton in the same team, chances are he'd have been destroyed by him anyway if there was a straight fight between McLaren and Mercedes.

The important thing is that he hasn't signed for an Arrows or a BAR or a 95-era McLaren as three former WDCs have when chasing a big pay cheque. He's signing with a top team and getting a fat payout for his troubles too.

We'll I'd rather race a McLaren for free than be paid £12m not to.

If he joined that would be a British super team

Raikkonen already had money from Santander, why couldn't he just take the seat? I'm not defending Button either, he can do what he wants, but imo, F1 drivers should worry more about driving rather than money... no sportsman deserves that kind of dosh

Ah I forgot you're ignoring me

Yeah right, you should add Barrichello before Button because he was better and faster after they sorted out his brakes.

Button will replace Kovalainen and nobody will notice the difference. To sum it up: bad for F1, bad for Button, good for Lewis.

"it is unlikely that he would turn down the chance to join one of the most successful teams in the history of the sport."

with quotes like this, this is more of a british press frenzy than anything substantial.