By Phil Huff (30/11/2004)
December 1 2004

Lucky Strike BAR Honda's lead driver Jenson Button has admitted that he made mistakes in his attempts to move to rival outfit BMW.WilliamsF1. Lucky Strike BAR Honda's lead driver Jenson Button has admitted that he made mistakes in his attempts to move to rival outfit Williams.

"Yes, I did make some mistakes," confirmed the Englishman to The Guardian. "I think all the people involved made mistakes along the way."

Button was advised of an exit possibility to rejoin Williams, the team that gave him his break in Formula One. This hinged on doubt about Honda sticking with the team, a point that Honda have made abundantly clear in recent days was not valid.

"In my reasoning for moving I don't think I made a mistake," confirming his thoughts that Williams offer a better chance of taking the championship, "but in not talking to David (Richards) myself, I was misguided. I've never been in this situation before, I don't know the legal side of things, so I just had to listen to what people had to say. I did that, and I thought it was the correct thing to do, but obviously it wasn't."

Putting to rest the stories of rocky working conditions, Jenson said "The atmosphere is still very good here, even after me deciding I wanted to leave. Obviously a few people weren't happy with the way it was handled, which was probably correct, but a lot of people understood the reasons for it. Everyone's been very professional and I think they've done a fantastic job this season."

With Honda deciding to prove that they're committed to Formula One for the long term, Jenson feels more positive. "Honda having a stake in the team is the best thing for BAR," he says. "It's huge for everyone working here. It makes us very excited about the coming years. I'm staying with BAR next year and now that the decision has been made I'm actually very happy."

While there was no love lost between Jenson and David Richards, the two did at least have a very good professional relationship. In a twist to the saga, David Richards has been forced from the team after Honda purchased a 45% stake.

"I think he's been a good team principal," said Button. "That's it."

With Richards out, and being replaced by Nick Fry, his right hand man at Prodrive, does Jenson feel that the team can challenge Ferrari?

"Nobody is top forever. Everybody can be beaten, and Michael definitely can be beaten. He's not perfect. He's made quite a few mistakes this year, which I was actually surprised by. He's beatable, and I think most drivers on the grid would think so. Maybe not Rubens..."

He expects to be leading that challenge: "To get 10 podiums and to be so close to winning on many occasions, and to be challenging the Ferraris, which were staggeringly quick, has been beyond even my expectations. But it hasn't made us relax. It's made us want it even more for next year. I think we'll move forward and possibly challenge for the title, and then we'll have to wait and see what happens from there on. We don't want to look too far into the future."

If BAR do fall back, would he look on Williams as a missed opportunity? Replying quickly, he says "No, because it wasn't an opportunity."