Apparently Brawn GP’s Jenson button had some issues with teammate Rubens Barrichello and race engineer Jock Clear over the access of their data and information. Supposedly, according to the Mail Online, Button came to heads with Ross Brawn over what he felt was a withholding of technical data from the other side of the garage.
It seems Barrichello’s race engineer Clear was not forthcoming with information that could have benefit Button’s car in setup and performance. Inner-team rows are not new to F1 but as the season draws to a close and Buttons’ point lead is dwindling at the hands of a resurgent and motivated teammate in Barrichello; the tensions may be palpable.
Team boss Ross Brawn has stated that the issue has been resolved and that information will be shared as it will be a fair fight to the end of the season. Button has come up short over the last few races while Barrichello has won two including last weekends Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
Several suggestions have been made about what Button’s issue may be ranging from pressure to not mentally strong enough. According to this story maybe it’s just not having access to Barrichello’s data or an inability to recommend the right changes to the car to seek optimum performance and relying on the Brazilian Barrichello to supply the technical side.
I doubt that’s the issue seriously as Button is a good driver and competent technical person but there is no secret that Barrichello, the veteran of F1, is a real engineer’s kind of man with very astute feedback and technical ability.
It also appears that Button is asking for a raise if he wins the title this year. He is seeking £5m instead of the current £3m. Now at first sight this seems opportunistic but remember that Button took a pay-cut to keep Honda F1 going and all he is really asking for is his old salary which by F1 terms is anemic—especially for a world champion. Then again, the current economic situation may make this a difficult proposition.
