The British driver took a massive reduction in pay for this season, when Honda’s withdrawal meant the team had to tighten its purse strings considerably. But the form they and he have found has meant that they can now afford to offer the championship leader a substantial pay rise.
“He took voluntarily a major reduction [at the start of the season] but he does have a contract for several years to come and we will discussing at some stage later this year what we do to make sure he is rewarded fairly,” Brawn GP CEO Nick Fry told Autosport magazine. “But it is not something we are discussing at the moment.
“These contracts are quite complicated but it is not something that is vexing us at the moment. He has done a great job and later in the year he will win more races and have a discussion.”
The money on the table will be to try to entice Button to stay at the team, as big-money offers are reported to be in the offing from rival teams. Possible destinations could include McLaren, where he would partner Lewis Hamilton, or even Ferrari alongside Fernando Alonso. Stranger things have happened.