Button signs for McLaren

Just a few days ago, Ross Brawn announced he was still 99.9% confident that Jenson Button would stay with the world champions next season.

But in a stunning turnaround, Button has opted to quit Brawn GP and sign on the dotted line with rivals McLaren for an all-British driver line-up with Lewis Hamilton.

There will be those who argue that Button is a money-grabber - McLaren were more than willing to offer him more than double what he was earning at Brawn GP. But this deal is not just about the cash, although that no doubt helped to sway the decision.

According to sources close to Button, he genuinely believes that McLaren, the form car for much of the latter part of the season, will give him the best chance of defending his title.

That might be true in the sense that he will potentially have the quickest car at his disposal, but Button will be in for some big shocks. For one, Hamilton has built the McLaren team around him and is likely to be favoured over Button by everyone, from team boss Martin Whitmarsh down to the dinner ladies at the Woking headquarters.

As a result, McLaren are likely to build a car that suits Hamilton's more aggressive driving style more than the silky smooth approach of Button. And Hamilton is undeniably a quicker driver than the man who replaced him as world champion. So there is the potential for things to go horribly wrong for Button.

Is Button's decision to join McLaren the right move? And can he realistically beat Hamilton to defend his world title? Post your comments below...

Latest F1 gossip... Honda set to return?

Jenson Button and co may be soaking up the sun in Marbella but it's business as usual for our F1 expert.

This week's updates include news on a possible Honda return and the future of Pedro de la Rosa.

Read more in the daily gossip column and post your thoughts and rumours in the boxes below.

Button to stay at Brawn

Jenson Button looks certain to stay on at Brawn GP next season despite claims by his management that Brawn had failed to offer him a reasonable contract.

Button, who earned £3m driving for the team last season, is reportedly seeking £8m while Brawn are unwilling to go above the £5m mark, which would be nearly a quarter of the annual salary paid to Fernando Alonso at Ferrari.

The row may drag on and it was perhaps telling that Button was nowhere to be seen for the team's Brackley celebrations this week. But Ross Brawn and Button know the new world champion will be staying put. There has been talk of a switch to McLaren, but that won't materialise. McLaren are still keen to sign Kimi Raikkonen and his management team was spotted at the team's Woking headquarters on Thursday.

Button has been told to forget about the money and that's exactly what the Briton must do to give him the best possible chance of defending his 2009 title.

Do you think Button will stick with Brawn and what's the Briton worth? Or should the team sign someone else? Post your comments below...

Latest F1 gossip... Red Bull engines

It may now be the off-season but that hasn't stopped our F1 insider from bringing you fresh pitlane rumours.

This week's first update includes news on Red Bull's engine suppliers for 2010  - read more on this in the daily gossip column and post your thoughts and rumours in the boxes below.

Toyota quit F1

Toyota stunned the world of Formula 1 on Wednesday by announcing they were pulling out of the sport with immediate effect.

The announcement is all the more shocking as the team had only recently signed up to the Concorde Agreement - effectively tying it to F1 until 2012. In addition, team boss John Howett was saying as recently as Sunday that he was planning to give Kamui Kobayashi a race deal for next season while chasing a "big name" for the other seat.

One can only assume that the decision must have come as a massive shock to Howett himself, who insisted at the weekend that preparations were already well under way for 2010 and that the team would definitely be on the grid.

The news is a bitter blow for F1, who have lost their third major manufacturer in a year following the departure of both Honda and BMW. All eyes will now be on Renault, who have been tipped to leave the sport in the past but, like Toyota were doing a few days ago, insist they will compete next season.

The one plus point is that Qadbak, who bought out BMW Sauber, look certain to get a slot on the grid for next season. But F1 will be feeling very shaky and wondering how many more major pull-outs the sport can sustain.

What do you make of Toyota's decision to quit F1? What does it mean for the sport as a whole? Post your comments below...

Latest F1 gossip... British Grand Prix 2010

The season may have finished, but our F1 expert will continue you to enlighten your lives with pitlane rumours during the winter months.

Bernie Ecclestone says Silverstone will host the British GP next year  - read more on this and all the latest F1 gossip and post your thoughts and rumours below.

Vettel wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Judging by practice and qualifying, Lewis Hamilton looked a dead cert for victory at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but things are never that predictable in Formula 1.

The McLaren driver retired relatively early on in the race and Sebastian Vettel cemented his spot as runner-up in the F1 World Championship standings behind Jenson Button with a dominant victory at the spectacular Yas Marina Circuit.

Button also rounded off the year in style with a captivating battle for second place with Mark Webber but he could not upset yet another Red Bull one-two.

More interestingly than the race itself was the repurcussions for next season. The teams suggest that 2010 will be a case of progression rather than revolution in the cars we saw in 2009, which means a nail-bitingly close grid for the season opener in Bahrain on 14 March.

Brawn, Red Bull, McLaren and, if they can get their act together, Ferrari should all be capable race winners from the word go. What's clear is that next season could be even better than this...

What did you make of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Vettel's win and the 2009 season in general? And what are your predictions for next season? Post your comments below...

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix preview

Jenson Button may have wrapped up the Formula 1 World Championship two weekends ago in Brazil with Brawn GP bagging the constructors' crown in the process, but there is still plenty at stake at the Yas Marina.

Second placed Sebastian Vettel is desperate to hold on to his two-point advantage over Rubens Barrichello, while just one point separates third-placed McLaren from Ferrari in the current constructors' standings.

The nuances of the circuit should play nicely into the hands of McLaren and Lewis Hamilton, with the Briton likely to round off his mixed season with a third win.

For starters, the nature of the track lends itself to KERS power - something McLaren appear to have got to grips with better than any other team - while Hamilton is adamant he wants to finish a tough 2009 with a bang.

Any expectation that Button will end his fairytale season in style is far fetched, the new world champion himself admitting - even with all the pressure now off him - that his car simply isn't quick enough to do the job.

Who will win this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and is there any point in the race with the world championship now wrapped up? Post your comments below...

Latest F1 gossip... Piquet in talks with Campos

Ahead of the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, our F1 expert brings you more pitlane rumours including a possible route back into the sport for Nelson Piquet Jr.

Read this and all the latest F1 gossip and post your thoughts and rumours below.

British Grand Prix in doubt

The British Grand Prix is once again in major doubt after Donington Park revealed it had failed to raise the £135m required to revamp the circuit and host the 2010 race.

Unless a last-minute rescue package is found, the race will almost certainly not take place at the venue next summer.

Silverstone bosses have repeatedly said they are willing to step in to host the race, but are understandably looking for a cut-price deal from F1 promoter Bernie Ecclestone after being initially overlooked as the venue for this year's race.

Their differing position to Ecclestone's could yet mean the unthinkable for a country with the current driver and constructor world champion in Jenson Button and Brawn GP - no home race for next season.

This would be catastrophic for motorsport in the UK. Ecclestone needs to see sense and, for once, think less about the money and more about the good of the sport he claims to love so dearly.

Can F1 cope without a British Grand Prix and likewise can the British motoring industry? And should Ecclestone back down over his pay demands? Post your comments below...