It has been formally announced that Williams driver Jenson Button is to go on loan to Benetton for the next two seasons. Button only joined Williams this year but Frank Williams insisted the deal include an option to re-sign the 20-year-old British driver at the end of the loan period if Williams so desire.
Button released a statement shortly after the announcement, saying: "I will always be eternally grateful to Frank Williams and Patrick Head at Williams for giving me my great opportunity in Formula One. I have some unfinished business at Williams and I'm looking forward to the remaining races this season. I feel I'm on a constant learning curve and this year has been really exciting - I cannot wait to get into the car again."
Button replaces Austrian Alexander Wurz, who has struggled this season, and will partner Giancarlo Fisichella at Benetton, which he is looking forward to. "Giancarlo Fisichella is rated as a great driver, and I'll look forward to racing alongside him very much indeed. All in all, my future looks very bright," he added. Williams will replace Button with Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya who races for the Chip Ganassi team in the CART championships in America.
Meanwhile, British American Racing have announced that Olivier Panis will replace Ricardo Zonta as number two to Jacques Villeneuve next season. Panis, who won the 1997 Monaco Grand Prix, has been test driving for McLaren this season after being released by the Prost team.
