** Official F1 Season 2010 Thread **

[Chookes 21]

I'm starting this early as there continues to be new news every second day within the sport.

Button Joins Hamilton at McLaren:

Jenson Button has signed to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton in an all-English line-up at McLaren next season, BBC Sport has learned.

The world champion's move will be announced later on Wednesday.

The confirmation follows news that former world champion Kimi Raikkonen will not race in F1 next year.

The move leaves McLaren with one of the most exciting driver line-ups in F1 and Button facing arguably the toughest challenge of his career.

Button's former team Brawn, who have been taken over by Mercedes, made Button an offer, but the 29-year-old did not consider it acceptable.

His switch means McLaren will be fielding the last two world champions in the same team, Hamilton having won the drivers' title in 2008.

Button's preference for McLaren is not solely to do with money, according to sources. He also believes it is the best option for his career.

After a poor start to the 2009 season, McLaren came back strongly in the second half of the year, while Brawn, after dominating the first third of the season, slipped back in competitiveness as the year went on.

Button's manager Richard Goddard was unavailable for comment.

Brawn emerged from the ashes of the former Honda team, after the Japanese company pulled out of F1 last winter.

Button took a pay cut last winter to help secure the team's future and they went on to win the world championship together in Brawn's debut season.

Now renamed Mercedes Grand Prix, the team have already signed the German Nico Rosberg as one of their drivers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8363892.stm

[Chookes 21]

Raikkonen Rejects F1 for Rallying

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen will not be racing in Formula 1 next year after failing to find a drive.

The 30-year-old Finn had been trying to do a deal with McLaren but they would not offer him the salary he wanted, his manager David Robertson told BBC Sport.

"They couldn't afford him," Robertson said. "It wasn't in his interests to race for what they were offering so he's going to go rallying instead."

Robertson said he believed McLaren had already signed Jenson Button.

Raikkonen is trying to find a drive in the world rally championship, Roberston said, although nothing had yet been sorted out.

He made his world rally debut on his home Rally Finland last August, setting competitive times before crashing out.

"He wants to be back in F1 in 2011 but with all the money he has earned he doesn't want to go in a medium-type team for money," Robertson added.

"The same criteria would apply as this year - he'd only go where he feels he has a chance of the world championship."

Asked whether Button's appearance on the market had wrecked Raikkonen's hopes at McLaren, Roberston said: "If they hadn't gone for Jenson, they'd have gone for someone else."

Raikkonen, who won the world title for Ferrari in 2007, was forced out of Ferrari at the end of this season to make way for Fernando Alonso, despite already having a year left on his contract.

Raikkonen is being paid a sum believed to be in the region of 20m euros not to race for Ferrari in 2010, but still wanted to be paid what he felt was a fair sum to drive for another team.

Robertson would not confirm the Ferrari payment, describing the arrangements with Ferrari as "confidential".

Although he won the Belgian Grand Prix, Raikkonen's final season with Ferrari was a disappointment, with car that was never the fastest in the field.

He said: "Kimi wanted a winning car, only McLaren could supply that and he only had them in his sights. He didn't want another year like this one.

"But they had their issues with Mercedes, Santander and the FIA and from a financial point of view they are not the powerhouse they were. They couldn't afford him."

Mercedes announced on Tuesday that they were selling back their 40% shareholding in McLaren and buying the Brawn team instead.

Spanish bank Santander will sponsor Ferrari next year, although they will still retain a smaller presence with McLaren.

And governing body the FIA in 2007 fined McLaren $100m (then £49m) after they were found guilty of possessing confidential Ferrari technical information.

Asked how Raikkonen felt about the temporary end of an F1 career that started in 2001 and in which he won 18 grands prix, Robertson said: "He's one of those guys who moves on quickly - he just said 'now we concentrate on rallying'.

A McLaren spokesman refused to comment on Robertson's remarks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8365967.stm

[Orangeclement 572]

rumour has it that Heidfeld or Glock will be the 2nd driver for Brawn to have an all German line up

[Chookes 21]

Mercedes Takes Over Brawn F1

German car giant Mercedes has bought the Brawn Formula 1 team in a move that is likely to see Jenson Button join McLaren as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate.

Mercedes will buy 75% of Brawn in partnership with an Abu Dhabi investment company but will continue as McLaren's engine partner until 2015.

Brawn, who won both world titles in their debut season in 2009, will be rebranded as Mercedes Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg will be their lead driver, with Nick Heidfeld his likely partner.

Fellow German Timo Glock, who drove for Toyota last season, is also a possibility.

The team has not yet confirmed Rosberg, who drove for Williams in 2009, but he is widely known throughout F1 to have already signed for the Mercedes team.

We've had discussions with Jenson over what we think is a sensible salary and this deal is not going to change anything in that respect

Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug indicated that talks with Button were ongoing but had already revealed the team is in negotiations with Heidfeld.

"We are talking (with Button) and that's why we cannot announce the driver line-up," said Haug on Monday. "We have to accept that speculation takes place, but that's the name of the game."

But he added: "This will be an international team - Mercedes-Benz is a global player.

"We definitely do not want to have a pure German team. It's an international team and we want to have the best drivers in the car."

Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche, whose company owns Mercedes, echoed Haug's thoughts.

"What we would like to see is the best drivers in the two seats," he said. "We certainly would not be opposed if one of them was German but that is not a prerequisite."

Button, who won the drivers' title this year, has been trying to secure a pay-rise from his £3.5m salary but it seems Mercedes is not interested in granting his wish.

The 29-year-old Englishman visited McLaren with manager Richard Goddard on Friday, with Button now expected to join the Woking-based team for a salary around double what Brawn were offering.

Button's decision is understood not to be solely about money - sources say he considers McLaren might have a more competitive car than Brawn in 2010.

"We've had discussions with Jenson over what we think is a sensible salary and this deal is not going to change anything in that respect," Brawn chief executive Nick Fry told BBC Radio 5 live.

"I hope Jenson will be with us as we've been together for a good few years, but F1 is not divorced from the rest of the world.

"The reason we've survived as a team is that we have operated in our means."

Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who has been forced to leave Ferrari to make way for Fernando Alonso, remains an outside possibility for the seat alongside 2008 world champion Hamilton.

Despite the takeover, both Haug and Zetsche indicated that there were unlikely to be wholesale changes, with Ross Brawn remaining as team principal.

They also said Brawn would have a key role to play in deciding the driver line-up for 2010 and beyond.

"Ross Brawn is the boss of the team and it would not be smart of us to dictate to him anything like a driver decision," said Zetsche.

Brawn and Fry will retain a 24.9% shareholding in the team. The remaining 75.1% will be split between Mercedes, which will own 45.1% and Abu Dhabi company Aabar Investments, which will own 30%.

Brawn said: "Brawn GP has been through an incredible journey over the last 12 months.

"From fighting for our survival to forging a strong relationship with Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines, winning both the constructors' and drivers' world championships, and now accepting Daimler and Aabar's offer to buy our team, which will secure its future."

As part of a deal that will see the McLaren Group buy back Mercedes's 40% shareholding by 2011, the German company will continue to supply free engines and sponsorship to the team for at least the next six years.

The team's official name will remain Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

McLaren chairman Ron Dennis described the deal as "a win-win situation, both for McLaren and Daimler".

McLaren and Mercedes said one of the reasons for them to split was because of McLaren's road-car building ambitions.

McLaren is launching a high-performance sports car called the MP4-12C in 2011.

Dennis said: "I've often stated that it's my belief that, in order to survive and thrive in 21st Century Formula 1, a team must become much more than merely a team.

"That being the case, in order to develop and sustain the revenue streams required to compete and win grands prix and world championships, companies that run Formula 1 teams must broaden the scope of their commercial activities.

"In the MP4-12C, which will be introduced to market in 2011, we have a car that has inherited the genes of the iconic McLaren F1 of 1994 and has already been the subject of much global media acclaim."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8362295.stm

[Chookes 21]

rumour has it that Heidfeld or Glock will be the 2nd driver for Brawn to have an all German line up

They're in talks with Heidfeld at the moment. When Mercedes took over Brawn they did offer Button the same contract he was delaying over with Brawn. He's almost doubled his wage by going to McLaren. Good move for Button, good move for British fans I think.

[Orangeclement 572]

rumour has it that Heidfeld or Glock will be the 2nd driver for Brawn to have an all German line up

They're in talks with Heidfeld at the moment. When Mercedes took over Brawn they did offer Button the same contract he was delaying over with Brawn. He's almost doubled his wage by going to McLaren. Good move for Button, good move for British fans I think.

Dont think so in my eyes, There is only ever going to be one winner in that garage imo

[Chookes 21]

Dont think so in my eyes, There is only ever going to be one winner in that garage imo

Perhaps. But if there was ever a time for a team to fully support their two drivers equally from the beginning, McLaren have it.

Two British World Champions, racing for a British team. Give them the same support, let them fight it out on the track.

Here's hoping anyway .

[Orangeclement 572]

Dont think so in my eyes, There is only ever going to be one winner in that garage imo

Perhaps. But if there was ever a time for a team to fully support their two drivers equally from the beginning, McLaren have it.

Two British World Champions, racing for a British team. Give them the same support, let them fight it out on the track.

Here's hoping anyway .

Would be good for the sport i agree

[Chookes 21]

Would be good for the sport i agree

Button to McLaren, Alonso to Ferrari, Brawn saved... There's plenty of great news come about since the loss of some of the bigger teams. I'm optimistic for a superb season next year.

Losing Raikkonen is definitely a huge loss though, IMO.

[Orangeclement 572]

Would be good for the sport i agree

Button to McLaren, Alonso to Ferrari, Brawn saved... There's plenty of great news come about since the loss of some of the bigger teams. I'm optimistic for a superb season next year.

Losing Raikkonen is definitely a huge loss though, IMO.

i read that he can make more money by doing nothing next season than actually racing

think it was £15m if he got a drive or £17m to sit on his arse milking his sponsers

[Chookes 21]

think it was £15m if he got a drive or £17m to sit on his arse milking his sponsers

I think that's true.

He could probably apply for Job Seeker's Benefits too and add an extra cool £100 a fortnight.

Raikkonen

[Creampuff 22,628]

I would really enjoy Button beating Hamilton next season.

[Chookes 21]

I would really enjoy Button beating Hamilton next season.

I'll admit to supporting Hamilton but I wouldn't be disappointed if Button beat him next season.

Personally, I'd love for either one of them to win the title next season.

[jim_beam 2]

If Ferrari get there act together (which i hope they do) then it's Alonso for me next year

[Chookes 21]

If Ferrari get there act together (which i hope they do) then it's Alonso for me next year

He'll have a fight with Massa and it will all end in tears for Ferrari.

Or he'll win it. It could go either way for me .

[Creampuff 22,628]

If Alonso has a competitive car, he'll win hands down IMO.

[Orangeclement 572]

My preffered winner would be Alonso always liked him

[jim_beam 2]

If Alonso has a competitive car, he'll win hands down IMO.

[Chookes 21]

Button move is mistake - Stewart

Former Formula 1 drivers Sir Jackie Stewart and John Watson believe world champion Jenson Button's decision to join McLaren next season is a mistake.

Button will drive alongside 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton in an all-English line-up for the 2010 campaign.

"It's a mistake and will be like walking into the lion's den for Jenson," Stewart told BBC Sport.

Watson added: "It's hard to understand what it is about McLaren which Jenson Button wants to engage in."

Stewart, a three-time world champion, and former McLaren driver Watson agreed that Button faces an uphill battle to impose himself in a team where Hamilton is the established number one.

"Hamilton has had it his own way at McLaren for three years and it will be tough for Jenson to marry into that," said Stewart.

Putting himself in Button's shoes, Stewart, who won the world title in 1969, 1971 and 1973, added: "I would have wanted to do a deal with Brawn because I know the culture of the Brawn team and have a high respect for Ross Brawn and I know the mechanics intimately.

"It's a totally different culture in McLaren. They have a clinical culture that doesn't have the emotion or drive in the same passionate way that say Brawn would have had with Button in there as reigning world champion.

"The McLaren car will be one of the best cars on the grid though, so he is going to a team that wants to succeed.

"However, Hamilton has had it his way. He disposed of Fernando Alonso and I think he will want to retain a position of prominence in team.

"He will be a tough guy for Jenson to marry into, whereas at Brawn he had the advantage of being with a team he's been with for a few years.

"We are looking at two guys who want to be number one and in one team they are sometimes not perfect bed partners, because there will be differences."

Watson, who raced for McLaren between 1979 and 1985, thinks money was the key factor in Button's decision to leave Brawn.

"I think his heart was still really with the Brawn team," he said.

"I think he would have preferred to have stayed but the deal he was offered to him wasn't satisfactory.

"It didn't acknowledge the fact that he was world champion. I think he was hurt by that. McLaren came along with a much better offer but also it's a longer contract."

Watson was equally sceptical about Button's ability to challenge Hamilton's status at McLaren.

"I don't think Jenson has ever been matched against a driver of the quality, the ambition and out-and-out skill of Lewis Hamilton," he added.

"It is a challenge and Jenson will have to reassess his aims and objectives over the next three years, because for sure, Lewis Hamilton will not be a walk in the park."

Watson, who rates Hamilton as marginally the better driver, also questioned McLaren's ability to fashion a car suited to the contrasting styles of the two British world champions.

"Lewis is an out-and-out racer, I call him a hot rod. He just grabs a racing car by the steering wheel and drives his wheels off," he said.

"Jenson Button is more like an artist. His car is a palette and he uses it to paint a lovely picture of a driving style that is rhythmic, fluid, a joy to watch.

"But when the team has to work with two drivers which such diverse styles of driving, that's going to be difficult for McLaren to get their heads around."

However, BBC Sport pundit Eddie Jordan believes McLaren will be able to deal with having the last two world champions on their team.

He said: "The team was built for Hamilton and the whole McLaren team is behind him but Jenson brings something different to the team.

"There are two world champions, but McLaren can handle this kind of ego and talent."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8366570.stm

[Jamie1807 146]

rumour has it that Heidfeld or Glock will be the 2nd driver for Brawn to have an all German line up

Timo Glock's signed for Manor GP

[Chookes 21]

Silverstone Will Stage British GP

Silverstone has agreed a 17-year deal to host the British Grand Prix from 2010, ensuring the prestigious race is not axed from the Formula 1 calendar.

The Northamptonshire circuit stepped in to stage the event, which next year takes place on 11 July, after Donington Park was stripped of the rights.

And the news ensures the oldest race on the F1 calendar retains its place.

Under the new agreement, Silverstone, which hosted this year's British Grand Prix in July, will be redeveloped.

The modernisation of the facilities at Silverstone, which first staged the British Grand Prix in 1948, will focus on rebuilding the pit lanes and paddock - with work due to start as soon as possible after Christmas.

"This announcement is tremendous news," said 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill who is president of the British Racing Drivers Club president (BRDC), which owns Silverstone.

"It's not easy to enter into an agreement of this magnitude. It's a big commitment.

"But the BRDC felt we wanted this relationship to continue, and we were prepared to back the negotiating team, with the level of risk satisfactory for the deal to go ahead."

F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone welcomed the deal: "This will ensure the British Grand Prix is included on the Formula 1 calendar for many years to come, which is something I've always wanted to happen.

"The team at Silverstone already know how to organise a good event, and now everyone can look forward to next summer at Silverstone."

The 2010 race calendar will be officially released on Wednesday when the Silverstone showpiece will be confirmed for Sunday 11 July - the same day as the 2010 World Cup final.

Talks had been ongoing between Formula 1 management and Silverstone since Donington Park failed to show it had the necessary £135m funding.

The main delay in establishing a deal appears to have been the length of the contract and the inclusion of a 7% annual escalation fee.

Silverstone admitted it needed to improve its ageing facilities, but insisted it needed the security of a longer-term contract to justify and help raise the finances needed to upgrade.

The contract on the table was believed to demand a £12m fee for 2010, with an increase of 7% per year after that, however it is now understood that the increase has been pegged at 5%.

There is also a clause in the contract that allows either side to end the contract after 10 years.

BBC F1 commentator Martin Brundle said: "It's brilliant news. I always assumed it would happen in the end because everyone wanted the same thing. The new circuits are exciting and interesting but they always had to balance up with the historic circuits, like Silverstone."

Silverstone managing director Richard Phillips said: "We've always had five-year deals and never been able to get the investment we needed to redevelop.

"But 17 years gives us the ability to invest and move forward.

"We've always had the belief the British Grand Prix was an important cornerstone of Formula One but, with Bernie, you're never quite sure, at the end of the day, though, you have to have a British Grand Prix."

Silverstone is also due to stage the British MotoGP in 2010 and the venue is planning to use that modified track layout for the grand prix if they can get FIA approval. If not, they will stick with the old circuit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8397777.stm

Great news. My sister (a big F1 fan) always talked about going to the British GP. The calendar wouldn't have been the same without it.

[Chookes 21]

Sauber Will Replace Toyota on F1 2010 Grid

Sauber have been awarded the 13th and final slot on the Formula 1 grid next year in place of Toyota, which quit the sport at the end of the 2009 season.

The Swiss team applied for a place following BMW's decision to sell its team back to founder Peter Sauber provided they were given an entry.

The FIA said in a statement on Thursday it had accepted Sauber's application.

Meanwhile, further doubt has been cast on Renault's future following reports the company has decided to quit F1.

The French newspaper L'Equipe has reported that Renault president Carlos Ghosn has ordered his lieutenants to look at ways of stopping being a constructor and selling the team, while remaining as an engine supplier.

Ghosn is understood to have discussed the issue at a meeting of his heads of department on Thursday, and it is expected to feature again at a board meeting next week.

Renault said last month that it would make a decision on its F1 future by the end of the year.

Media reports have also suggested Renault was considering selling to British-based Prodrive.

"We cannot comment on the Renault situation, but it is well known that our intention is to get into F1," a Prodrive spokesman told Reuters news agency.

"We proved our credentials earlier this year when we had a strong business case for an entry, but having had an engine deal with Mercedes-Benz in place we were not willing to sacrifice our competitiveness."

If Renault pulls out, that would reduce the number of teams to 12 once Sauber completes the formalities of signing the Concorde Agreement, the secret document by which the sport is governed and which defines the relationship between the teams, the FIA and the commercial rights holders.

BMW Sauber lost their guaranteed place on the 2010 grid to Lotus because they failed to sign the Concorde Agreement in July.

But Toyota's decision to leave F1 earlier this month has opened up a space on the grid which has been been handed to the Swiss outfit.

Toyota pulled the plug on its F1 team in November after seven years competing in the sport, during which time they took part in 139 races and failed to record a single win.

Their decision to pull out made them the third manufacturer in 11 months to leave the championship, following in the footsteps of Honda and BMW.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8393888.stm

[Creampuff 22,628]

Can't see Hamilton//Button working at the same team tbh.

Hamilton will want to be seen as the Number 1 driver, despite being relatively poor over the last year.

[Chookes 21]

Can't see Hamilton//Button working at the same team tbh.

Hamilton will want to be seen as the Number 1 driver, despite being relatively poor over the last year.

How was he relatively poor over the last year ?

[Creampuff 22,628]

Can't see Hamilton//Button working at the same team tbh.

Hamilton will want to be seen as the Number 1 driver, despite being relatively poor over the last year.

How was he relatively poor over the last year ?

He never looked like challenging for anything until the last few races of the season.

Albeit in a car that for the mostpart couldn't compete - rather basic errors let him down, much like the errors that almost cost him his title the year before.