We won't spend money like drunken sailors, says Fry
Fry said the Mercedes buyout will not lead to any significant hikes in Button's pay offer
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By Adam Leveridge
Mercedes-Benz is expected to announce plans for its future in formula one at a press conference in Germany today, with the car manufacturer increasing its involvement with newly-crowned constructors' champions Brawn GP. |  |
Tuesday, 17, Nov 2009 09:58
By Adam Leveridge
Mercedes Grand Prix chief executive Nick Fry has refuted claims that Monday's buyout will encourage significant rises in the pay offer put to newly-crowned champion Jenson Button.
This week Mercedes-Benz ended speculation by announcing it will buy a controlling share in the Brawn team, which is now known as Mercedes GP.
However, with Button and his management allegedly requesting double his current salary for the 2010 season compared to this year, negotiations between the champion and the Brackley outfit have hit a brick wall.
This impasse in talks between the two parties has forced Button to consider other options for the 2010 season and he has been linked to a switch to McLaren alongside his British compatriot Lewis Hamilton after he took a tour of the team's lavish headquarters in Woking last week.
Fry, however, is insistent that negotiations with Button are still ongoing.
"Ross Brawn and I want Jenson to stay with our team," Fry explained to the Daily Mirror newspaper.
"He's our number one priority. From the start we've wanted Jenson to drive for us next year; we've a long history, especially Jenson and I - we have been very loyal to him, won a world championship and would like to continue."
But, the Mercedes GP chief said, in the current economic circumstances the team cannot afford to "spend money like drunken sailors".
"We can only pay an amount that is sensible in the current circumstances," said Fry.
"Just because Mercedes own us does not mean we're going to spend [lots of] money.
"We do things more inexpensively than a lot of teams, that's what they like about us - to change that would be undoing what they bought.
"Times are difficult, financially, for everybody. We made a large number of people redundant earlier in the year and we are continuing to work in a financially sensible way.
"We are not going to spend money we haven't got. My belief - and Ross shares this - is that we made an offer to Jenson which is generous, given the current economic situation."
It is unclear whether Button's visit to the McLaren headquarters is a carefully played piece of theatre by both sides, with Button demonstrating to Mercedes GP that he has other options, and McLaren showing their preferred option Kimi Raikkonen that other drivers are available for less money.