NOVEMBER 27, 2006

Button hurts himself while karting

Honda F1 driver Jenson Button will miss this week's Formula 1 testing after suffering two cracked ribs in an accident while karting. According to the team, the injury occurred when Button was "participating in a karting test scheduled as part of his winter preparation" rather than being an accident when Button was horsing around.

The team has decided that Button will miss the test scheduled this week in Barcelona, so as not to aggravate the problem and it remains to be seen whether or not Button will be seen at the forthcoming tests at Jerez on December 6-8 and 13-15. Jenson is also due to compete in the Race of Champions event at the Stade de France in Paris on December 16.

This means that the team's development of Bridgestone tyres will be left to Rubens Barrichello and test drivers Christian Klien and James Rossiter.

The accident is hardly the way to start development for a season in which Button hopes to be a championship contender - but the injury does not seem to be too serious and there is plenty of time for him to recover.