Button delay slows silly season
The three-week delay in the Contract Recognition Board's decision over Jenson Button's future will almost certainly have the knock-on effect of stalling the rest of the Formula 1 driver market as leading stars hold station for the chance of landing a top-line seat next year
The continued uncertainty over whether Button will race for BAR or Williams in 2005 - and even the remote possibility that he could be forced to sit out the season completely - means that front-running drivers cannot make firm commitments about their own future plans. The CRB's decision is now due on October 16, but could be delayed even further.
British duo David Coulthard and Anthony Davidson are the favourites to fight it out for the seat that Button does not take - and they will obviously be reluctant to accept opportunities elsewhere with less competitive cars until they get final word from Williams and BAR.
Speaking last weekend to The Mail on Sunday, Coulthard staked his claim for an opportunity at BAR - making it clear that he believed he could do a better job than Button has managed this season.
"I have the highest respect for Jenson Button, whom I regard as a friend, but I believe if I would have been driving his car this season I would have won a grand prix or two," he said. "It's just down to experience. Jenson will win many races in due course, but right now I know how to win and hope I will get the chance to prove it with BAR next season.
"If I do, there is no reason why I cannot challenge for the championship. The same can be said for Williams, too. I've been there before, don't forget, so there is no way they won't have a competitive car next time."
Their chief option outside of Williams and BAR is almost certainly whatever replaces Jaguar Racing. The team has yet to be sold, but whoever purchases it would likely put Davidson and Coulthard high on its list of candidates. The danger for either driver is that they miss their chance elsewhere on the grid by holding out for a seat at BAR and Williams, and then are overlooked there. It could leave them with nothing. One of their chief threats for the Williams seat if Button does not go there is Antonio Pizzonia.
The other possibility for the two British drives is that some teams are forced to run three cars next year, because the grid drops below 20 cars, and they could be given the extra cars at either McLaren, Williams or BAR.
Preview: China Makes Debut as Villeneuve Returns
Red Bull closes in on Jag
Double F1 race winner Jean Pierre Jabouille has died
Former French Formula 1 driver Jean-Pierre Jabouille has died on Thursday at age 80, French media have reported.
IMSA champion Jarvis to contest full ELMS season with United Autosports
Reigning IMSA Sportscar Championship title-winner Oliver Jarvis will contest the European Le Mans Series with United Autosports alongside Formula 2 convert Marino Sato, in addition to the World Endurance Championship.
20 years on: Porsche’s 911 GT Daytona 24 Hours giant-killing relived
IMSA’s new GTP class for LMDh cars had a more auspicious debut last weekend than the Daytona Prototypes that arrived in 2003. Back then, they were humbled by a GT Porsche 911, which won the Floridian sportscar classic by nine laps.
Entries open for the 2023 Williams Autosport Engineer of the Future Award story
Entries have opened for the 2023 Williams Autosport Engineer of the Future Award, with budding motorsport engineers invited to apply for the revamped prize.
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.