Button and Ferrari????

[TeddyG]

FERRARI LINKED WITH BUTTON - www.itv-f1.com
2002-04-21 10:56:00
Jenson Button could replace Rubens Barrichello at Ferrari next year, according to reports in the Sunday Mirror.

The Renault man’s stunning early season form has thrust the Englishman into the limelight with the Italian press in particular going into overdrive to praise him.

The paper reveals that Williams will not take up their option on Button for the next two years as they persist with their current driver line-up.

This effectively leaves the door open for Ferrari as the Italian media speculate on who will replace Barrichello as Number 2 to Michael Schumacher.

Juan Pablo Montoya has also been linked however that would seem unlikely given Ferrari’s love affair with the four times world champion.

It all makes good reading for Button. Renault boss Flavio Briatore is allegedly now also desperate to retain his services. Pre-season observers were predicting a fall-out between the two.


I dunno though sounds like a lot of media hype to me.....and I don't think Button would give up a Renault seat to be TGF's slave.....but how about this...Button to Ferrari, JV to Renault, and Barrichello to BAR??? hmmmmm

[f1truestory]

no i think he will go as soon as ferrari give him a contract

i remember i said this somewhere when the season just started

Its a good thing for Jenson, anyway TGF is goin to leave the sport soon.

[TeddyG]

Really you think he'd give up the Renault drive that easy??? I mean I really think they will be up there next year.

[f1truestory]

yea......but they wont be in the same level as ferrari.
i think if both Renault and ferrari offer me a place, i will surely go for the better team.

[Speedworx]

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Button doesn't need to be ruined by Ferrari. Send Montoya there and have Button at Williams.

[Lee Janotta]

It sounds like nothing but speculation, but if Ferarri pursues Button, it means that Mr. "Deliberate, but Instinctual" is planning to leave in the next few years; Button's too ambitious to be anybody's slave for very long.

I find Schumacher leaving at this point to be highly unlikely, with nothing so far standing between him and a 6th championship next year! Williams will need to completely re-think their aero package and get much better tires if JPM and Ralph are to challenge next season.

If Button goes to Ferarri, you can be almost certain Jacques will replace him at Renault, assuming he's still on the market.

[f1manoz]

Well this certaily has to go down as rumour of the week. Although for some reason I don't find this completely unexpected.

[Markules]

The problem I see for Button in that (and Phillipa Massa) is that atm, there's always that big young talent that attracts a lot of attention each season. Last year is was Raikkonen or Montoya. The season before that, it was Button himself. If someone like Button goes to Ferrari now, who's to say that he won't have two-three torid years that everyone of Schumi's team mates have endured, then gets forgotten as just another number two and Ferrari bring in the next best young driver to actually replace TGF and forcing Button to go on playing second fiddle? The road is, after all, littered with plenty of once promising young drivers who never hacked it when they needed to; Trulli, Salo, Wurz, Frentzen, Verstappen, etc...

IMO Button should stick to where he is. Renault have a good chassis and a good engine this season, giving them a good basis for them to work on, and although it's early days and his team mate has had some rotten luck, he's got the running of Trulli. Provided he just keep it up he'll have shaped the team around him within a couple of years or two (and Benetton nee Renault have always been good at making good cars for one driver in the past).

[slicktoast]

It all depends on what Button is really after. If he wants the glory of driving for Big Red, the best machine (at least in 2002) and making big $cratch. Then he go. If he wants to make his mark then he'll stay.

[Glen]

I'm a big Button fan - and I have to say that if he has the chance to go to Ferrari (by a country mile the best team in F1) and drive alongside MS (by an even larger margin the best driver) he'd be absolutely mad not to go. I think he'll find it frustrating and difficult to beat Schumi - but that's just fair enough... to be WDC you've gotta beat them all. Being in the best car has gotta help. The only thing is I think he's probaby still too young to be trying to compete at the very top level.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Glen
The only thing is I think he's probaby still too young to be trying to compete at the very top level.

i agree with you partly, glen, although i've been saying in other topics for a little while now that ferrari should sign jenson!

the thing is, who, of the older drivers could ferrari sign to lead the team after tgf goes? (and i really don't see fisi as on option!)

IF ferrari were to sign jenson they shouldn't need to tell him you are no 2, he'll know that already, they need to say, listen to what tgf (don't suppose they'll call him tgf!!) tells you, learn from it, go out there, enjoy and do your best! he's proved that he can bring the 4th best car home in the points, so he'll definatly be able to bring the best car home!

i certainly am not a ferrari fan.......i support the drivers, but if ferrari want to carry on as "top boys" after tgf has hung up his helmet, they have got to think of a young driver like jenson, now.....not carry on with rubens!

p.s.....why have you guys all stopped calling jenson....bunsen?

[Nicholas]

Bunsen! It's because we forgot all about him last year. We mocked him a bit first, and then forgot during the off season.

I don't think Jens... I mean Bunsen will go to Ferrari until TGF leaves, if he's serious about winning a championship. Although I remember an F1 racing interview where he said TGF's tactics were okay! I've still got the interview somewhere maybe he'll give TGF a taste of his own medicine...

[Sato san]

i agreee a bit with Mr V and abit with Hakkiman

if Jenson is garenteed to take over from TGF and get Ferrari's full support , then it would be worth a shot .

but if its just to play servant for Michael and have 2nd choice at everything just like Rubens and Eddie have had to do then i would say dont take it unless you have nothing else of substance on the table.

[Mr V]

the difference between now, i.e the possibility of ferrari signing jenson and before when they signed eddie and rubens is that now ferrari can see an end to their relationship with tgf, due to the fact that tgf has acheived many of his goals and might be considering retireing! when they signed eddie and then rubens it was to help tgf and ferrari in the short term, now they've got to look at the long term and what they are going to do after tgf has gone!

[Sato san]

yes thats true to a degree , but just to make the point clear , that was correct with rubens but not eddie . Eddie was signed on a longer deal than with Michael , as Eddie was sure than when TGF left after 2 years he would be there to take over the main seat from him.

[Sato san]

as it turned out ..TGf has stayed for 7 years so far , Eddie got fed up and moved on to Jag ,or Ferrari moved him on ?? , and the same is happening to Rubens now .

But Eddie was sure that he would reap the rewards left after MS had left .

Ive got the interview from Mebourne in 1996 somewhere on video tape. I will have to have a look for it sometime .

[Mr V]

obviously tgf was signed on a short term contract to "hedge" his bets i think, but when rubens signed for 2000, tgf and ferrari hadn't acheived their objectives at that time.i.e the wdc, now they have twice, and they are finally thinking of the long term future for the first time since 1996!

[Sato san]

thats exactly as i see it too mr v.

MS needed to be convinced that Ferrari were good enough before he resigned for a longer period of time . But by then , he had brought Rory and Ross to Ferrari and new he would stay on to finish the job he started .

But , i trully feel sorry for the 2nd driver at Ferrari , and am a little worried that Jesnon may kill his career there , by playing servant to TGF .

Unless Jenson or whoever takes the 2nd Ferrari seat knows that TGF will retire in 1 or 2 years time , and has it written into a water tight contract that he will get a equal chance to race for the number 1 spot at each race , then i would be very careful .

[Red]

Originally posted by mr v
and they are finally thinking of the long term future for the first time since 1996!

Not sure about the words "finally" and "for the first time" but I believe that this will fill your soul with joy and happines

I (Michael Schumacher) recently spoke to the president of Ferrari, Luca Di Montezemolo, who more or less offered me a contract for life. He (Di Montezemolo) told me, 'if you want to drive until you are 100 years old, then drive till you're 100 years old'.

[Bononi]

Uhn... If Frank Williams and Patrick Head can do something for this not happen, they will do.

Right now, the only one that Ferrari can put there is Massa. Because he's confortably under their hands in Sauber.

[Mr V]

Bon, sir frank is more of a father figure to jenson than anything and if his plans for the williams team next year is to have rafe and jpm in his cars then i don't think he'll stop jenson from going anywhere............after all, it doesn't mean that he (fw) can't re-sign jenson in a couple of years!

[facco]

That's right Bon...

Hmmmm Silly season has begun in APRIL!!!!


MR v, since FW OWNS Bunsen's contract, he can do as he please.

[Sato san]

ooooo .it gets earlier every year !! hehehe

[Raven]

As much as I'd hate to see this happen, I feel it could very well become a reality.

This would also get Schumi over with the press here as 'the greatest of all time' when he destroys Button, as with Fangio and Moss. Jenson wouldn't mind being beaten by the all time great however, getting within a second will be a big achievement for him. he will also be willing to learn from MS and play #2 while he is still young.

Why can't we have JPM and Fisichella at Ferrari?

[DMC]

Originally posted by Sato san
ooooo .it gets earlier every year !! hehehe

Excpet for Arrows it seems to start a few weeks before the Australian Grand Prix.