 Button had great success with Brawn but could a move be on the cards? |
Jenson Button has visited the McLaren headquarters in Woking as doubts continue over who the world champion will be driving for next season. Button and his manager Richard Goddard were given a tour by McLaren chief Martin Whitmarsh, BBC Sport confirmed. A McLaren spokesman said: "Having just landed at Heathrow, Jenson made a small detour to Woking to say a quick hello." Button took a pay cut to drive for Brawn after Honda quit F1 last year, but is stalling over an improved offer. If Button joined McLaren, he would partner 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton. Only last month Ross Brawn said he was "99%" certain Button, 29, would remain with his team, but wages and the competitiveness of the car are believed to be sticking points over a new deal. Having taken a pay cut from £10m to £3m, the world champion is said to be looking for a pay rise more substantial than the one Brawn are offering.  | 606: DEBATE |
McLaren, one of the better-funded teams on the grid, would certainly be in a position to afford a bigger salary, and a car that regularly outperformed Brawn's during the latter part of the 2009 season. Goddard was unavailable for comment on Friday evening but had earlier told the Guardian: "As I've said many times before, Jenson wants to drive a car which is capable of winning the next world championship. "We've been talking about possible terms for 2010 with Brawn for months and we're not being difficult or unreasonably expensive in our demands for Jenson. In fact we've given up quite a lot of negotiating ground in our discussions with them." Kimi Raikkonen was another driver to visit the McLaren factory this week with the 2007 world champion's future still to be decided following his forced exit from Ferrari to make way for Fernando Alonso.
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