Button shocked to leave McLaren: 'He just shouted at me'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Jenson Button was driving the Brawn GP car in 2009 when he decided to make a switch to McLaren. In that team, he could drive together with Lewis Hamilton which seemed perfect. His old team wasn't too happy with the move though.
Among other things, the former driver spoke to Nick Fry, the team's Chief Executive Officer. "I remember I was going into his office and telling him I was leaving and he just shouted at me," Button told The High Performance Podcast. "I basically just started laughing because it was a really uncomfortable situation. I kind of felt for him, for how aggressive he was. He just looked at me and was like 'why are you laughing at me?' It was the situation and it was just what I didn't expect."
Ross Brawn was less angry, although he still warned Button. "I told Ross and he was very friendly and said 'I think you're making a big mistake going up alongside Lewis'. I was like 'this is awesome,' a lot of positive energy I am getting here but it happens. I didn't have a contract for the next year, it didn't feel like the place for me and McLaren was."
Button and Hamilton without prizes at McLaren
Button ended up driving alongside Hamilton for three seasons. However, neither driver managed to become a world champion during that period.