Button Looking Forward To Williams Duel

The new Williams pairing of Germany's Ralf Schumacher and Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya should provide some sparks in Formula One next season, Briton Jenson Button said on Monday.

"They are going to clash slightly I think, but I'm sure they can work together. They're quite clever people.

"I'm actually looking forward to it, it should be good fun to watch," the 20-year-old, who has moved from Williams to Benetton on loan for two years to make way for Montoya, told Reuters in an interview.

Montoya was Williams's test driver in 1998 and arrives in Formula One as a champion, after winning the 1999 Champ Car title in the United States, and on equal terms with Schumacher.

The German, younger brother of three times world champion Michael, worked well with Button last season and has said he would have liked to keep the pairing going.

However he said after testing last week that the highly-rated Colombian "seems a nice guy".

Montoya made clear his position earlier in the year when he said: "If we are in a position where we don't want to be great teammates, I don't have a problem with that. My job is to drive the car as fast as I can and put it on top."

Setting aside any media-fuelled spats, the duel out on the track between the German and the Colombian should be a highlight of 2001 as should comparisons between Button and Montoya.

An Ally In Berger

Button said it had also taken time for him and Schumacher to build a working relationship.

"Me and Ralf got on really well last year, which was surprising because at the start of the year we didn't really talk a lot," said Button.

He had arrived straight from Formula Three but found a crucial ally in Austrian Gerhard Berger, head of motorsport at Williams's engine provider BMW.

"He's been great," said Button.

"It's difficult going to your teammate and asking about a circuit and to show you around, especially with Ralf. He's been a great teammate but again he doesn't want to show me everything, does he?

"But Gerhard's been great. He's really helped in showing me around the circuits and, not just that, in telling me how to deal with the press."

There will be nobody quite like that at Renault-owned Benetton, run by Italian businessman Flavio Briatore, but Button said that did not matter so much now although he would still ask the Austrian's advice occasionally.

"I think I've got a lot from this year and that's all I really need. I don't think next year he could really teach me a lot in an F1 car. I've got to really go my own way.

"Flav knows F1 very well and he's going to teach me a few things there, not to do with the driving obviously."

Button said he was looking forward to working with his new Italian teammate Giancarlo Fisichella and to starting a season without having to worry about his immediate future with a replacement lurking in the background.

"He's a very quick and talented driver from what I've seen," he said of Fisichella. "I think we're going to push each other pretty hard next year."

The next step, after becoming the youngest driver ever to score points in Formula One last season, is to try to finish on the podium in 2001.

"Hopefully, but we'll see what the tyres do first," he said, with Benetton set to use Michelin tyres in the French manufacturer's first season back on the grid. "From what we've seen so far, they're at a good starting point."