Having worked in Formula One for over 20 years, Ann Bradshaw knows the difference between good and bad handling of the sport's affairs with the media. After the announcement that Jenson Button would leave for Williams, Ann reviews the issue and explains how it should have been done

There are three lawyers whose job is to decide the outcome of a very thorny problem. Who has the right contract for Jenson Button and so who will he drive for in 2005. These are the members of the Swiss-based Contract Recognition Board who will sit in judgement on the current debacle between Jenson Button and his management team and BAR and may even have to refer it to legal authorities if they cannot make a final adjudication. I wonder if they are motor racing fans!

I do not need to remind my readers what has happened over the past week on this subject, but perhaps I should put my two penny worth in here on what I consider a most unpleasant situation.

I know all about the Contract Recognition Board. This body decided the contract that David Coulthard had with Williams was unfair, and that from 1996 on he should be allowed to take up a much more lucrative one offered to him, through his management team at IMG, by the McLaren Mercedes team. David left the team that took Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve to the drivers' titles in 1996 and 1997 to join a team that have not been able to give him this. He has not had a unsuccessful time with McLaren, as he is currently the second most successful racing driver after Michael Schumacher – he has 13 wins to his credit and 12 of those have come with McLaren – but he has not got what every driver claims he wants and that is a world title.

Jenson Button claims this is the reason he is leaving the BAR team. He reckons Williams have more chance of giving him this than BAR, and even stated he believes he can win it next year. Mind you he has been realistic and said if he doesn't then he will not be that disappointed.

I love Sir Frank Williams' team. I worked with them for 12 seasons and consider this my F1 spiritual home. However, I am a realist and have to agree with the majority of the people who cannot understand why Jenson has chosen to jump ship at this precise time. He has a team that is being built around him. The team are getting closer to Renault in the Constructors' Championship and have every chance of finishing second. Jenson has had numerous podium finishes, and who knows what he could have achieved in Hockenheim if he had started higher up the grid. At the moment the Williams team are fourth in the points tables.

Jenson claims it was not for money, but for results and his belief the Wantage team will eventually be more successful than the Brackley team. Fine, I have no problem with this as Williams have a great track record. However, why not sit out your contract with BAR for another couple of years and see how the land lies. I don't expect Frank's interest will wane. In fact, he has admitted that he had no idea Jenson was likely to be on the market so had not put him in his plans for 2005, but did have an option if this situation should change.

I have heard Ross Brawn say live on TV that Jenson was the sort of driver who would be considered by Ferrari as a Michael Schumacher replacement. Why not do at BAR what Michael has done at Ferrari and prove you can build a team around you and get them to the top step of the podium. This must make you more attractive to the Italians, and remember that Michael was born in 1969 and you in 1980, and so must be considering retirement in the near future.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who is leaving the team for McLaren, went on record on TV to say he was "amazed" at Jenson's move. However, I understand from journalists who were in Hungary that his comments not in front of a TV camera were much more colourful. I have yet to find someone who really understands the reason behind this move. It is not good to upset the boys who build your car and support you through thick and thin. I know quite a lot of the BAR people and know they were proud of what they had done for Jenson and what he had done for them. They would have done anything for him and I am sure they still did this weekend in Hungary. I also know the Williams team boys and know they will do exactly the same. But I do know such things hurt and am personally sad to see Jenson's reputation suffering. He felt letting his manager send David Richards a fax was a perfectly normal way of saying I don't want to drive for you anymore. I do not agree and I am sure the people I saw at Silverstone wearing BAR gear because Jenson was driving for the team would not agree either. Sorry Jenson but I thought you were a gentleman and would have faced up to such a task. Look at Mark Webber. He had every reason on earth to leave Jaguar for a much better performing team. He still made sure he never said anything to de-motivate the boys at Milton Keynes, and before the world knew the story went to the factory to tell them face to face why he was going.

I don't know Jenson. I have never worked with him. However, for me I feel he has let a group of people down who deserved better. If the whole deal was above board why did the release need to be sent out just before midnight on Thursday. I remember in my days of dealing with driver swaps I used to talk to my opposite number at whichever team we were dealing with to make sure no one had any nasty surprises. In fact I remember well talking to the people at McLaren over the switch of David Coulthard and also the people at BAR when Geoff Willis went there.

I was also delighted to see this way of working still existed when I received the releases from Jaguar and Williams about Mark Webber. They came within minutes of each other and the Jaguar one paid tribute to Mark. The words "trust" and "mutual respect" were in the Jaguar one. There was no such words from David Richards, who said he was "absolutely astounded" at the news and that it was now a "matter for the lawyers". I think the word dignity comes into the equation. I don't feel anyone has come out of this with dignity. I only hope for the sake of my favourite team this has a happy ending and Jenson does indeed get that World Championship that he so obviously craves above anything else.

The only other thing I can say about the above is this was the only excitement that came out of a boring weekend on the Hungarian track. However, it is well done to Ferrari and Michael Schumacher. The team have now won their sixth consecutive Constructors' Championship and Michael has set a new record of 12 wins in one season. He is also advancing towards Ayrton Senna's record of 65 pole positions. He will, however, have to wait at least another race for his drivers' title. This was sown up at the Hungarian race by Nigel Mansell in 1992 and Michael in 2001, but a win in Belgium in two weeks will put that to rights.

I am delighted the Grand Prix is back in Belgium as this is the sort of track where these cars should race. I know the Hungarians do a great job, but we all love to watch cars overtaking and there was not much of that going on in this race. I was in Spa a couple of weeks ago with BMW as they had entered not only the FIA ETCC races but the 24 Hours of Spa. The long distance race was with the wonderful BMW M3 GTR and it was great fun being part of this, even if it was a little tiring to be up for about 36 hours. The track has an amazing atmosphere and to watch the cars rushing through Eau Rouge is still one of the best sights in motor racing in my view. I know commercial issues are important as it is an expensive sport, but last year to deprive the true F1 fans of seeing cars on what is considered by most drivers to be the greatest track on earth was very sad.

I know the F1 people have had a bit of a rest over the weeks leading up to Hungary, but I have not and I am delighted to report the A1 Grand Prix series is going full steam ahead, and when it takes to the tracks in the winter of 2005 and 2006 there should be some great racing. Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum is doing everything in his power to make sure there is great racing. His remit to Lola, who have built the car, and Zytek, who have produced the V8 engine, is to give him close racing with overtaking.

The car looks like a batmobile and in recent tests at Snetterton has proved very fast. Stephen Watson, the South African ex-racer who is General Manager for the series, has had the job of testing. He is full of praise for the way the car handled and is now off to Spain at the end of the month to put it through its warm weather testing. This will be more the sort of temperatures the series will run in as the majority of the countries it visits will be having their summer. The next major landmark will be an announcement in London on the 30th September so watch this space for some exciting news.

About the author:
Ann Bradshaw - Annie - began her motor racing career as a teenager, helping out her brother in local rally races in England, where she grew up. In the 1970s she organised motor racing events in England, and was later the press officer for the RAC MSA - the motorsport governing body in Britain. In mid 1980s, she became press officer to team Lotus, where she worked with Ayrton Senna. Shortly after, she moved to the Williams team and was working there for several years, when once again she found herself working with Senna. She worked with Damon Hill after the Brazilian's death, and moved with the British Champion to Arrows. She also worked with the Panoz team in the United States, before becoming a freelance press officer, now working with BMW among others. Annie joined Atlas F1 as a regular columnist in April 2002.

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