McLaren signs Jenson Button

Next year McLaren have a mouthwatering combination of two World Champion in the team, both Brit, 2008 winner Lewis Hamilton, and the newly signed current World Champion Jenson Button from Brawn GP.

This is the first time a team in 31 years where the F1 will start the season with World Champion from two successive years. The last was back in 1968 when two British titleholders since Graham Hill joined Jim Clark at Lotus.

McLaren it seems dumped 2007 Champion Kimi Raikkonen during negotiations, and opted for Jenson Button, citing the 30 year old fits with McLaren’s philosophy.

Button was quoted, “It’s always a difficult decision to leave a team when you’ve been there for so long. But life is all about challenges and, most important of all, it’s about challenging yourself.

So, although I won the world championship with Brawn GP, and I’ll never forget that, I was always adamant that I wanted to continue to set myself fresh challenges.

You can’t help but be affected by this team’s phenomenal history. McLaren are one of the greats of world sport, and their achievements and list of past champions read like a Who’s Who of Formula 1 – Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and of course my new team-mate, Lewis Hamilton.

I’ve followed the McLaren team ever since I was a small boy, and it feels unbelievable finally to be a part of it. When I visited the McLaren Technology Centre earlier this month, it wasn’t simply the technical resources and the incredible standards of excellence that impressed me.

I was equally struck by the ambition, the motivation and the winning spirit that flow through everybody there. And then there’s the team’s epic history: put it this way, the trophy cabinets seem to stretch for miles.

From a personal point of view, it’s also a great pleasure to be joining a fellow British world champion. I’m sure there’s plenty that Lewis and I can learn from each other, and I’m really looking forward to using our combined knowledge to push the team forward.

I know that we both fly the flag with pride.”

With the vacancy at Brawn GP, the now renamed Mercedes GP, they’re contemplating signing Nick Heidfeld, to pair up with another German Nico Rosberg, who replaced Rubens Barrichello.

If based on history, a team with two stars have always turn out bad. Remember Hamilton-Alonso, or Senna-Prost. But the outcome of it usually creates one of the greatest sporting rivalries. Who knows it might just make F1 more interesting next season!

It is reported Button will be getting half of what Hamilton is being paid, Hamilton fee for 2010 is £15 million.