In the nearly twenty-year career of Jenson Button in Formula 1, the highest point reached by the Englishman was the conquest of the world title in 2009, a season in which the technical regulations of the Circus were completely upset and interpreted in the best way by the Brawn GP, with whom he won the world championship . Still, Button’s continuation of the top flight might have taken a different path in the mid-2000s.
The Briton, who entered F1 with the Williams precisely with the advent of the third millennium, it then passed to the BAR in 2003 after a brief stint in Benetton, later renamed Renault. However, on the occasion of the World Cup 2005Button made every effort to return to the Grove team, but the operation was blocked by the Contract Recognition Board – the body responsible for resolving contractual disputes between drivers and teams in Formula 1 – with Williams releasing the pilot in exchange for a compensation that was around 18 million pounds.
18 years later, David Richardsformer Director of BAR, is back to talk about that particular episode, and how it was heavily influenced by the managers of Button: “I look back and see Jenson as a young rider who, like so many others, was ill advised and influenced by its management – told the Welsh on the podcast Beyond the Grid – he had people with personal interests around him. They didn’t think of him first, nor did they look at the big picture. I have seen several riders who have lost their way or great opportunities, because they trusted a management that did not have their interests at heart, and had a different view of things. You rely on some sort of lawyers, managers and people around you to make decisions that are important to you, but if they are not professional and competent, or do not behave appropriately, it ends up in a big mess, as it happened to us“.
Regarding what happened, Richards later clarified that Button’s managers did not consult BAR about the driver’s move to Williams: “There was no correspondence – he added – but of course we didn’t take it well, and we ended up in the F1 arbitral tribunal, winning the case. My relationship with Jenson changed at the time, but we are now good friends. I blame the management. I cut ties with the management and he changed manager ”.
#Button #attempted #return #Williams #FormulaPassion.it