By Phil Huff
July 29 2005

Jenson Button is set to leave Lucky Strike BAR Honda, but won't be going anywhere near WilliamsF1, at least not according to British tabloid the Daily Mirror. The Mirror are linking Jenson Button to Ferrari, reporting that the Italian team are prepared to make a $35 million offer in order to secure his services. Button could even take over from seven times World Champion Michael Schumacher, should the German decide to retire.

Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello has repeatedly been linked with a seat at BAR Honda, despite confirming publicly that he has no intention of leaving the Scuderia.

With Williams' engine supplier BMW setting up shop with Sauber, the future of the Grove team is in doubt, while Jenson himself has made no secret of his desire to leave BAR, leaving few options open to the British driver.

"Button needs to be in a team that can get behind him, then he would be in a position to deliver," the Mirror quotes Bernie Ecclestone as saying. "People want to believe it when others say nice things about them and he was in danger of believing he was better than he was. But recently he has been shaken and perhaps a little bit stirred into pulling his socks up.

"He needs the kind of discipline he would get at Ferrari. Michael Schumacher is wholly dedicated seven days a week. He will win a race by five laps and the next day he will test. If Jenson was at Ferrari, he would have to do that whether he liked it or not. It would be good for him."

Ferrari's technical chief Ross Brawn has never hidden his admiration of Jenson, commenting last season that "one day Michael's going to stop and you've got to look around and see who's the best at that stage. I think Jenson will be on that list for sure.

"I think he's doing a fantastic job," Brawn continued when speaking to BBC Five Live. "He knows the circuits now and he's learning how to work with the teams. I think he'll be a hot property in the next couple of years.

"I think he showed signs in the early days, but if you get in the right environment and the right people behind you believe in you it raises your game.

"You see all the signs of that."

Jenson Button did little to discredit the story, refusing to confirm or deny anything, as is normal for him. "I can't say anything on my future next year," said Button. "I'm just living in the moment which is pretty good.

"I cannot talk about my future next year. That's it. I am not going to say yes or no."