Brawn bid to keep Button

'Driver freedom' could be key to retaining world champion

Last updated: 14th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Brawn bid to keep Button

Button: Contract talks

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Brawn GP could end up offering Jenson Button more freedom to negotiate his own sponsorship deals in a bid to keep the newly-crowned world champion.

Team principal Ross Brawn has conceded he is unlikely to be able to match Button's salary demands to stay with the constructors' champions.

Having taken a massive pay cut to stay with Brawn GP following the demise of Honda, Button is now believed to be looking for a new contract worth more than £6million-a-year.

And with McLaren reportedly waiting in the wings should the talks breakdown, Brawn, who recently stated that he is "99 per cent certain" that Button will stay, has admitted the team is looking at ways around the deadlock.

"We can offer a higher proportion of driver freedom and that will probably be the route we will go," Brawn told The Guardian.

"Jenson has some freedom for his own endorsements but has a commitment to meet our obligations."