Zoom Button likely to remain a Brawn GP driver next season

As newly-crowned World Champion Jenson Button's negotiations continue with his Brawn bosses over the size of his retainer, newspapers including the Daily Mail and the Sun said the 'Number 1' could be back on a silver-coloured car next season.

Asked directly about the rumours, McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh said: "We've talked to a number of drivers. It wouldn't be appropriate to say more than that.

"We'll hire the two best drivers available to us as we always have," he added.

However, Mercedes' Norbert Haug on Friday put a dampener on the British media reports about Button possibly joining McLaren in 2010.

"There are no current negotiations with Jenson Button but I do have understanding for the fact that people in England are dreaming of an English team with two World Champions in the cockpits," Haug, who is McLaren engine partner Mercedes' competition director, told the German news agency DPA.

"However, dreams don't always come true," he added.

Heikki Kovalainen is Hamilton's current teammate, but Kimi Raikkonen has been linked strongly with the seat.

D.B. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM