Brawn/Mercedes bosses Ross Brawn and Nick Fry have admitted disappointment after 2009 world champion Jenson Button on Wednesday jumped ship to rivals McLaren.

"I was very disappointed at the way things finished up with Jenson," admitted team principal Brawn to the Daily Express.

The parties have been locked in post-season negotiations about Button's salary for 2010, sparking waves of rumours and leaks about the purported figures involved.

Chief executive Fry said: "We offered loyalty which we hoped, perhaps naively, he would return."

"There is bravery and there is stupidity and we will only find out which it is next year," he said in an interview with the Mirror.

"We believe we made Jenson a good offer - one that was significantly more than he is being paid at McLaren. We are all mystified by this decision.



"We think he has been badly advised and had his head turned by McLaren's glitzy headquarters," added Fry.

It has been rumoured that the situation came to a head with the announcement of Mercedes' takeover, amid speculation Button felt the team should up its offer, and rumours that the German carmaker was pushing the Briton out.

"We made him an honest offer, but without him we can start with a clean slate. We wish him all the best," Norbert Haug is quoted in the German media as saying.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

 

I think this is just another showing of low class by Button, after his previous best season in '04 with BAR he attempted to jump ship and leave the team that gave him his best year thus far in his F1 career for Williams. I understand its a business, but some sort of loyalty still needs to remain especially when you're not the best driver in the field and it's the team giving you good results as much or more than your driving. Just my .02

 

any driver leaving the opportunity to work with Ross Brawn is nothing short of stupid, especially one that haven't achieved much before working with him.

 

+1.

 

Well put, and if it's true that they offered him more dough, then I'm really confused. I think he's making a huge mistake and will be a backmarker next year. Hamilton is and will always be McLaren's boy.

 

he took less money? wtf . . .

 

I don't understand his decision at all. Hamilton will make him look like a clown and he'll have nowhere to hide.

 

Dude, I put plenty of blame on Brawn for not paying the man who just won the world driving championship with them. Jenson took a huge cut to stay with the team, stuck with it, and won. That should have earned him a good payday with Brawn.

 

Yeah, but it sounds like they did offer him more money, even over what McLaren offered him. So...

 

Who knows? I know when the time came to just step up and do it, they didn't. That would piss me off too if I were JB.

Besides, now Schumi can come drive for Ross Brawn again.