Button calls for Formula One to get a new man in charge

Former world champ says his old team boss Ross Brawn is the man to take the sport forward.

With so much criticism aimed at the way Formula One is being governed, in particular a rash of bad decisions highlighted by the recent debacle surrounding the qualifying process, former world champion Jenson Button has called for a new man to take the reins – and that man should be his former boss Ross Brawn.

McLaren Honda driver Button, now one of the elder statesmen on the grand prix grid and increasingly opinionated as he moves towards the end of his career, feels strongly that the sport should be governed by an outsider with no vested interests.

Brawn, he declared in an interview with ESPN, is the ideal candidate.

“I think Ross would be fantastic; I think everyone believes in Ross and what he has achieved,” said Button, who got to understand and admire Brawn’s capabilities en route to his world championship triumph with Brawn GP in 2009.

Though he favours Brawn, Button admits that he’s not sure his old boss would be interested in the tough job steering F1. “He's enjoying his fishing, I'm sure."

Button went on to criticise the current convoluted F1 decision- making progress, suggesting there are too many parties involved at the moment , with certain teams undeserving of the considerable power they have.

"You are never going to get all of the teams to agree on a regulation… never. But the problem at the moment is that you need every team to agree," said Button.

Button is also unsure that the world controlling body, the FIA, should take complete control of F1.

He believes someone from outside of the sport would be a better bet “as long as they have the right direction and they have an understanding of the sport”.

He said that experts from certain areas of the sport – engineers, aerodynamicists and the like – could provide input to allow an independent like Brawn to reach the right decisions.