JUNE 12, 2003

Will Button be fit to race?

A decision will be taken later today as to whether or not Jenson Button will race for BAR in Canada. Button suffered concussion in his accident at Monaco and although he wants to get back in the cockpit and race, there appears to be a certain reticence on the part of the FIA doctors to allow this to happen. The fear is that a second big accident and another concussion could be fatal. The FIA has recently taken a much more serious view of concussion and is planning to introduce a new concussion-testing system in the course of the next few months. It may also be that there are legal issues involved because the knowledge that a second accident could be fatal would be very damaging if Button was to have another accident and there were legal actions as a result. Legal action is a fear in racing which has been developing quietly in recent years following the cases in Italy after the death of Ayrton Senna.

If Button cannot race in Montreal the drive will go to BAR's reserve driver Takuma Sato.