Grapevine: Feature: Button Flavour of the Month Again

Renault's British driver Jenson Button finds it hard to believe how quickly his fortunes have turned around in Formula One but says it is too early to say where he will be racing in 2003.

The 22-year-old was being written off by some in the sport last season but after three races of the 2002 campaign he is perched in fourth in the Drivers' Championship thanks to fourth place finishes in Malaysia and Brazil.

Those results, combined with his likely availability at the end of the season, have ensured that Button has been linked with several teams for next season.

Among those said to be showing interest are Jaguar and even, according to one Italian report, World Champions Ferrari. That is just six months after some pundits were saying Button was in danger of losing his place in Formula One.

"It is amazing... It is great but we will see what happens. No decisions will ever be made on the fourth race of the year. So what happens to me next year is going to be decided later on in the season," Button told reporters after practice on Friday for Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix.

Button made his Formula One debut in 2000 for Williams but last season he was loaned to Benetton who are now racing as Renault.

That loan finishes at the end of this campaign and unless there are some major moves among the top drivers he is likely to be farmed out again by Williams.

The success of the current Williams pairing, Jean Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, second and third in the Championship at the moment, appears to block any return to the BMW car for Button.

No Fixed Idea

But Button says he has no fixed idea about where he would like to race in the future.

"Not really. I think Renault sounds very good at the moment but we will see what happens this season. I think it will be down to more than one person," said the Briton.

It is a sign of a new-found confidence at Renault that Button says that even last year he would not automatically have chosen a return to Williams over his current team.

"No because it got so much better throughout the season and in the last races we were finishing in the top 10. They were winning races but that was 2001, we are talking about 2003 and things change around so much. So I won't know until later on in the season," said Button.

But Button insisted it was the chance of glory rather than a lucrative deal that would determine his choice of team. "It is not the pounds no, it is definitely about winning races," he said.

Button is currently the top ranked British driver this season, ahead of McLaren's Scottish driver David Coulthard and Imola has historically been a successful hunting ground for British drivers.

Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill both won twice at Imola while Coulthard captured the race in 1998. No other nation has produced more winners at the Italian track.

But Button, who finished 14th after a wet practice session, admits he has struggled to come to terms with the course, largely due to the need to ride so many kerbs.

"It is one of the most difficult circuits, full stop. I suppose it is quite fun because of the kerbs and everything but racing-wise it is very, very tough to overtake unless you have two cars which are so different in speed."