Who should partner Button in 2009?

[GTO]

With the change in car specs & proposed new knockout quali format...I don't believe having more experienced drivers to develop the car will factor in as much in '09. The changes should level things out between drivers. Thus, Senna (young gun) & Button (experience). If JB is not experienced enough to develop the car on his own, he shouldn't be there.

[jamsbong]

One thing is for sure. Both Button and Ruben has got all the experience, another words, they are unlikely to be better than they are now. The new guys, whether it be Senna or someone other guys, is likely to be more optimistic and plenty of room to improve.

I'm not a fan of Hamilton but this year you can see he has improved so much compared to last year. IMO, he still have plenty more room for speed and maturity. I guess for those who hate him, he will upset you guys even more.

like some of you have said. stop spending money on the experience drivers and develop a proper car instead. I think is a near total lost to keep any of the 2 current drivers.

[xpensive]

Both Button as well as Rubens should be shown the door. Button has always been painfully overrated, remember Fisi thrashing him at Renault, the departure of the latter is long overdue.

[Project Four]

While I rate both Senna and Di Grassi, Honda should keep Barrichello he out performed Button last year. He is also a far better developer of the car and a far better analyst of a car than Button.

That said when the car is right Button is the faster driver and would be the better bet for a WDC.

[jamsbong]

Both Button as well as Rubens should be shown the door. Button has always been painfully overrated, remember Fisi thrashing him at Renault, the departure of the latter is long overdue.

Well said, ITV always hype up their british drivers. They've got it right with Hamilton but not with Button. Button has always been just an average driver.

Martin Brundle praise him as the TEXT BOOK driver. To me it sounds like a driver with no creativity of his own, not adventurous. Of course, Martin says that the text book driving technique is GENTLE on tires and engines. To me that sounds like you and me driving on the streets, we have to be mild and gentle on public roads, don't we? This does not sound like a winner or a true race driver.

This makes me question why is Honda keeping Button? Probably because they have such crap cars that they can't attract fast drivers in the first place.

[j4kwan]

SATO !!!

[axle]

I'm not getting the hate for Button, he's seen off all his team-mates and got cheesed off with rubbish cars, who wouldn't. Yes, Rubens is trying harder as he knows he could be out on his ear.

Button won when he was given the oppertunity, he can race for definate. He just needs a car he can actually get stuck in with.

If Honda get the car right, I expect a few words to be eaten.

[GTO]

If Honda get the car right, I expect a few words to be eaten.

That's a big miracle you're expecting from a team that was at the bottom of the grid for the majority of the past two seasons.

[axle]

If Honda get the car right, I expect a few words to be eaten.

That's a big miracle you're expecting from a team that was at the bottom of the grid for the majority of the past two seasons.

I would personally ignore the past 2 seasons. I expect that the car will be much further up the grid. That's not saying running at the absolute front but I think they will take a big step forward and we'll see a much more motivated Button come from that. If he's fighting for points instead of trying to stay off the back row he'll come good IMO.

[GTO]

Axle, on what basis do you feel they will move up the grid? By that I mean...have they shown any improvements in chasis, engine, drivers or design personell? I'm also a Honda fan & am hoping they'll pull themselves out of the quicksand they seem to be caught in. However to be realistic, their car design team has not changed significantly from last year. I read they have new supension design for '09. With a lot of luck, it could help them move up the grid a little. Perhaps up to 11th or 12th. Sorry for being pessimistic, but, the way they stand now, I just don't see them cracking the top 10 even in qualifying, never mind the race. I'll have to wait & see their testing form in Jan/Feb. after the new car is revealed.

[axle]

Axle, on what basis do you feel they will move up the grid? By that I mean...have they shown any improvements in chasis, engine, drivers or design personell? I'm also a Honda fan & am hoping they'll pull themselves out of the quicksand they seem to be caught in. However to be realistic, their car design team has not changed significantly from last year. I read they have new supension design for '09. With a lot of luck, it could help them move up the grid a little. Perhaps up to 11th or 12th. Sorry for being pessimistic, but, the way they stand now, I just don't see them cracking the top 10 even in qualifying, never mind the race. I'll have to wait & see their testing form in Jan/Feb. after the new car is revealed.

I have a belief, be it accurate or not, that they will move up because of;
The early start on the 09 project.
The advanced KERS development and testing.
The focus on fixing the suspension (which has been the major issue in terms of driveability).
And a I believe they have made a number of appointments + some restructuring to probably get them working the same way Ross had Ferrari working.
And then there's Ross' obvious talent for running a race tactically.

I think they HAVE to deliver something next year, regular points for definate otherwise they will have failed. I'd like to think that all bets are off for next year, the teams could have a massive shake-up.

I'm not that confident about Renault and despite Adrain Newey I'm not so sure about RedBull or in fact Ferrari. I honestly think Ferrari might struggle next year. I might be completely wrong...it's just a feeling not based on anything in particular (wishful thinking lol).

[pipex]

I have a belief, be it accurate or not, that they will move up because of;
The early start on the 09 project.
The advanced KERS development and testing.
The focus on fixing the suspension (which has been the major issue in terms of driveability).
And a I believe they have made a number of appointments + some restructuring to probably get them working the same way Ross had Ferrari working.
And then there's Ross' obvious talent for running a race tactically.

I think they HAVE to deliver something next year, regular points for definate otherwise they will have failed. I'd like to think that all bets are off for next year, the teams could have a massive shake-up.

I'm not that confident about Renault and despite Adrain Newey I'm not so sure about RedBull or in fact Ferrari. I honestly think Ferrari might struggle next year. I might be completely wrong...it's just a feeling not based on anything in particular (wishful thinking lol).

I may add the insane amounts of money that Honda has been injecting in the F1 team. Well, we all know that money doesn't buy speed, but adding all the small reasons, we can hope that Honda gets it right this time. If not, this year will be a massive fault from them.

[jamsbong]

there is some unrealistic optimism here.
I personally won't bet on this team. The teams to look out for is Renault, BMW and Red Bull.

Why? because they've got drivers who wants to win. They've got the budget to win. They've also got the right people. Not that Ross Brawn is not the right man, he is, but it will only be his second year. I have serious doubts that he can perform miracles that quick.

[jeff8407]

How about Bourdais at Honda? Having seem him race here in the States he is a great driver. Yes, Vettel did get the better of him this year, but he didn't have a bad rookie season. Compare his season to Piquet's.....