AUGUST 22, 2005

Button and the Contract Recognition Board

There remains plenty of talk in F1 circles about Jenson Button and the tug-of-love between Williams and BAR for his services next season. Nothing seems to be happening, which is odd given that it is in the interest of everyone that the matter be sorted out as quickly as possible.

The next step will be a meeting of the Contract Recognition Board but this cannot happen until there is a clash of contracts. And that is not happening at the moment because the contracts lodged with the CRB are all based on options and do not come into operation unless certain conditions occur.

Or, to put it another way, Button is probably going to do something in order to force the issue. Williams would like to know the outcome of the dispute but is not going to go out of its way to do anything as it considers that its contract to be binding. BAR, we understand, lodged its contract with the CRB just after the British GP and it is now sitting in a filing cabinet in Switzerland waiting for something to happen.