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Button stays in BAR, Rosberg in Williams

Autosport announced Button and Williams reached an agreement to free Jenson from his contract with the Grove team for 2006.
Button will stay in BAR, with a contract for 80M$ in 5 years.

And a new "big son" will join F1: Nico Rosberg shall, apparently, be Mark Webber's teammate (unless he is taken as test driver, and Pizzonia keeps the second seat).

Comments

  • Discount $25ml from the $80,-ml.
    They go to Williams to buy off the contract.

    So, what about Taku ???
  • Taku has 1 point so far on this season...

    It doesn't look good for him :(
  • I'll be surprise if they shun Pizzionia for Nico.

    that's like a big slap in the face.
  • Pizzonia still isn't good enough for an F1 seat. Webber would smash him all over again. :rolleyes:

    Wonder what Webbo thinks of losing Button as a teammate? Bet he's not too happy, especially considering whoever they put it the other seat is likely to be either crap or a rookie.
  • $110,000,000 for Jensen Button?!! Your manager is a superstar man!
  • A guy who hasn't won a race let alone a championship getting a deal like that..... :rolleyes:

    How much does that ratchet up Kimi and Fernando's price?

    I'd put Button inside the top half of the F1 grid, but only just.
  • I don't think I agree with you, P1. I think Button can compete with Kimi and Fernando, he just was unlucky this year, and last year he had an amazing championship and, had it not been for Ferrari being on another planet, he would have for sure won 1 or 2 GPs.
  • He'll certainly get a sterner test with Ruebens.
  • Anyone seen the things drivers/managers have said.

    JV: He deserves to be out of the sport if he can't keep a contract

    Eddie Jordan: His reputation has been permantly damaged. I can honestly say if I had a top team I would never even consider Button.
  • I don't think I agree with you, P1. I think Button can compete with Kimi and Fernando, he just was unlucky this year, and last year he had an amazing championship and, had it not been for Ferrari being on another planet, he would have for sure won 1 or 2 GPs.
    It doesn't matter if he can or can't compete with these guys.
    The point is that he's being offered a huge sum of money and that 2 teams were fighting for his services, even if he had no superbig results behind him (no wins, best WDC standing 3rd in 2004) !!!
  • He is only being offered big sums because he is a Brit. If he was anything else no one would be fighting so hard. I'm with JV, the guy is a twat.
  • just look at the friday free practice session in melbourne 2000.
  • All of you who think Button is so reprehensible, would you say the same of Jean Alesi, who was in exactly the same position in '91?

    Button's an overated driver, but the contractual stuff is all part of the game these days. The era of the handshake is long gone, sadly.
  • I don't think Williams should be putting a rookie in the second seat. Their present level of competitiveness means they need an experienced driver who can win races. My preference would be Fisichella. He does not seem settled at Renault. I'm sure they want Montagny in the second seat.
    As for Webber, he needs to try to rebuild his reputation. He has been outperformed by Heidfeld too many times to suggest that he is a top drawer driver.
  • Petrol - i'd say that's one of the reasons he wanted Button in the team! Rightly or wrongly, some people in F1 consider Button a bit of a star, and I think Webber would like to have tested himself against someone like him.

    Heidfeld and Webber have been well matched. Pre-season I tipped Webber, I remember most of this forum tipped Heidfeld. Webber will end up with more points at the end of the year, and that's the final arbiter.
  • Taking the piss, right? Nick has missed those races..
  • Nick has missed what - 2 races? Not Webber's fault.

    If Heidfeld hadn't been called in to pit first in Monaco it would have been Webber with that second place. If Fisis hadn't stoved it into his side in Malaysia Webber would've got the podium, and not Heidfeld.

    Anyway, plenty of IFs, but he'll end up with the more points wont he?
  • C'mon Heidfeld has not only missed those 2 races but has also had 3 engine failures (Webber's had none), and still was leading him with 4 points before the injury.
    I agree that in terms of raw speed Webber is the better of the two, but his race craft is not quite as good as Nick's hence he was predictably out-scored by him.
  • I would say that Webber has had the measure of Nick, but only just. I think it is more accurate to say that Nick has outperformed the public expectations of him. He hasn't 'outperformed' Webber. Nick has more experience than his teammate and Webber himself rates Nick very highly.

    When asked what he thought of Nick as a driver, Webber said that if you can beat Nick in a race, you could count that as an achievement in itself. That's high praise from a teammate is it not?

    Nick and Webber are both very good drivers. Frank Williams said in an interview recently that both drivers were solid as bricks during in this adverse climate and we are very proud of them, they work hard and never complain which is quite rare.

    Webber has out qualified Nick 9 to 5 and barring those incidents in Monaco and Sepang, he has mostly been in front during the races. There has been bad luck for both guys but as for outperforming no. In my opinion Webber pips Nick at the line.

    But as the Joss fans would say...JOSS has been the best F1 driver this year!

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