Jenson Button, test driver?

[fpv_gtho]

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=31914

SURTEES BLAST FOR BUTTON
Last Updated: Tuesday, 18, January, 2005, 10:55


John Surtees reckons BAR should have demoted Jenson Button to test driver following his attempted defection to Williams.

Former world champion Surtees believes Button is mighty lucky to have emerged from the controversial episode unscathed.

He thinks BAR should have promoted Anthony Davidson into Button’s place as punishment.

He told the February edition of F1 Racing magazine: “Frankly, I don’t understand why Honda didn’t relegate him to the test team and stick Davidson in.

“Knowing the Japanese, they would have had to swallow very, very hard over that because – and it’s a great shame – the momentum of his career was gathering such nice pace.”

Surtees knows Honda well, having given the company its first F1 victory back in 1967. He is also more than familiar with Button, having helped fix up the Brit’s first Williams test five years ago.

He added: “I gave him a very long letter when he first joined Williams with various bits of advice, but I don’t think he took any notice.

“One of them was that when you enter any new field, the biggest thing you have to watch out for is other people – I would say he’s perhaps still learning to.

“He’s got to build bridges if he’s to stay at Honda, and he’s got to build them in such a way that they reach all the way back to Japan.”

But Surtees, the only man ever to have won world titles on both two wheels and four, is not convinced that Jenson is a true world beater.

He said: “I’m not certain whether he has quite the fire in the belly – we’ll have to wait and see.

“As for the world championship… I don’t necessarily expect that it will naturally follow because there are too many imponderables.

“Honda will arrive there but whether they arrive there with Jenson I don’t know.”

[fa22_raptor]

That's a bit harsh. Also verging on stupid. BAR (Honda) would never demote Button as he's clearly a better driver than both Sato and Davidson. To demote him for the sake of "punishment" would help noone: Button would be VERY upset, and the team as a whole would suffer from his absence as race driver. That's just plain stupid, and the thought would never have crossed BAR's mind I sincerely hope.
I agree with Surtees that Button may not have the potential to be world champion, but that is a different matter. He certainly has matured a lot as a driver since his debut with Williams.

[fpv_gtho]

Well the situation surrounding Button has changed a fair bit since about mid 2004. Hes gone from possibly the next UK champion, someone that could seriously rival Schuey; the BAR/Williams saga gave him a love/hate image to alot of people with his treatment of the whle deal; he's probably won back some fans by dedicating himself to BAR for the 2005 season but then there was also some comments he made awhile ago with his thoughts to Ferrari's stranglehold on the series that i thought were a bit odd.

[dydzi]

this is sick, anthony is a great driver but jenson can't be test driver, he is too good

[the real deal]

I rekon that it will be just one more years wait for davidson till he gets a drive with BAR. Williams have said that their second driver will only be signed for one season, they will be signing button up at the end of this season. That will be the chance that Davidson gets to become the driver he deserves to be. I think that BAR made the right choice in not letting Davidson go for this season, he is way to good and at the moment BAR have got a gr8 driver line up but when Button does leave then they will need a driver with Davidsons tallent to take ova Buttons roll with the team.

[man 430gt]

Who the hell would want him as a test driver, get shumi.
Joke

[SlickHolden]

Yeah make the only drive that can win the hole thing sit as test driver lol That's brains for them I would dock his pay a little of the big bonus but not stop him from driving when he can win

[fpv_gtho]

Well its interesting that you suggest that Slick cause apparently that was part of why he trie to jump ship to Williams, he was on a pay by points system at BAR or something and with all the extra points he got in 2004 over 2003, i guess the team wasnt quite prepared to pay him the whole lot straight away or something

[SlickHolden]

Performence based pay, I thought only the poor did that
I like the idea of a set amount, say 6mill if you get in the top 5 after the season bonus 500,000. 100,000 per win 1mill championship win something like that

[fpv_gtho]

Well no doubt BAR wont be doing that anymore, theyve only just relly proven themselves as a top team. It was always Ferrari, McLaren and Williams. Even when someone else got given the credit of being a front runner, it was usually Renault.

[SlickHolden]

I think they should have a salary cap on the drivers pay lol

[fpv_gtho]

I think they'd just sneak the money in somewhere else, take Schuey for example. He earns around the $20million mark with Ferrari as his official salary, but apparently he gets more than a couple of times that through all the merchandising etc.

[SlickHolden]

Do a AFL cap and life will get very hard

[fpv_gtho]

Then you'd get the good drivers going to things like MotoGP and WRC and the bad drivers going to Champ Cars and IRL though.

[r1ckst4]

That comment by Surtees is stupid... he has never been in Jenson's position before why should he make a comment about it. If he was Jenson, i'm sure he wouldnt be happy if he was to be the test driver for the team when he wanted to win the championship so badly... and without Jenson, honda is nothing to be honest.