Button and BAR Make Up

Briton Jenson Button committed himself to another year at BAR on Thursday after a hoped-for switch to Williams was ruled out.

The 24-year-old driver and BAR boss David Richards, appearing together at Interlagos before Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix, moved to patch up their differences with a public display of unity.

But despite smiles and arms-around-shoulders poses for photographers, both had work to do before broken fences could be fully mended.

Button, recognising that he had been poorly advised, did not hide his disappointment at the Contract Recognition Board's verdict while Richards said that "the situation has a bit of repairing to do".

However both pledged to stay together, although Button would not comment on plans for 2006. Richards also ruled out any financial deal with Williams.

"As far as I'm concerned the team is committed to Jenson and no financial issue was ever going to change our minds," said Richards. "I made that very clear to Frank (Williams) from an early stage."

Button had wanted to return to Williams, the team with which he made his Grand Prix debut in 2000, after being advised there was a perceived loophole in his BAR contract. BAR insisted their deal was watertight and Formula One's Contract Recognition Board, issuing its verdict on Wednesday, agreed.

"I'm not going to lie, it is a little bit disappointing," said Button, third overall after 10 podiums in 17 races. "But you can't have everything in life. I think if you look at the last few months, with the difficult situation within the team, we've still been able to have some very good results.

"I think if we all stay focused for next season we can still have a very good year."

More Open

Button had felt that former champions Williams, fourth in the Championship and without a win since August 2003, could offer him a better chance of winning the title.

Richards had in turn been angered by the manner in which Button had announced his planned move, which came as a bolt from the blue to the rest of Formula One.

"Relationships sometimes go through ups and downs," the smiling boss said on Thursday however.

"Probably at the end of the day we've come out stronger as a result of the situation, we'll certainly be more open and frank with each other than we ever have been before.

"There's no getting away from the fact that the situation has a bit of repairing to do behind it," he added. "There's no hiding from that. We've seen the issues, we've aired a lot of them in public between both of us."

BAR have yet to win a race since their 1999 debut, although Button has a chance on Sunday, and Richards said it was not unreasonable for him to compare the two teams' track records.

"We've got to convince Jenson quite clearly," he said. "I say we can (deliver). There must be question marks over that. But now we are committed to working together to make sure that happens next year."