Coulthard warns Button over future

"You cannot say 100 percent that's the fact. But it would be very difficult to imagine if this doesn't work out where he goes from there. It is a fickle business," Coulthard told Reuters during the launch of the new Red Bull Racing car at Jerez.

"The way the sport is now, there are so many young drivers coming through and there are so many opportunities for teams to pick up these guys."

The former grand prix driver also said that even if buyer is found in time, Button will have to face the prospect of another season fighting away from the top.

"Whereas going into previous years with Honda he was all full of hope and expectation that this could be the year that Honda will step up, he has to take a different view now," Coulthard added.

"He has to now consider himself as driving for a mid-grid, privateer team.

"Whether they can deliver to his expectations or not is more difficult to judge going into this season and presumably longer term he has to be looking to try to make a step up to a manufacturer team."

Button has said that it was Honda or nothing for him, and now there are no racing seats available for the 2009 season.

Although Honda talked up their chances of a strong season this year during a dismal 2008, Coulthard believes the team are likely to be at the back of the grid if they race.

"Honda, off the back of a bad season, suddenly when they realise they are up for sale start talking that this (their 2009 car) is a winning design and it's a great opportunity for anyone to buy this winning design," Coulthard said.

"I don't think it is a given that it will suddenly be a winning design. You would like to imagine that it would be better than what they were given last year but I think the team at the back of the grid potentially could be Honda."