2009 F1 Champion Jenson Button has recalled a “really uncomfortable situation” which occurred after his shock move to McLaren was announced.
Button decided to ditch Brawn GP, with whom he won the 2009 World Championship with, to partner Sir Lewis Hamilton at McLaren.
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News of the move prompted Nick Fry, a senior Brawn GP figure at the time, to shout at Button.
“We came into McLaren after winning the world championship in 2009,” Button said on The High Performance Podcast.
“People said it was the craziest move to move to McLaren alongside Lewis Hamilton and even Ross Brawn said that.
“I told the team I was leaving at the end of 2009. I spoke to Nick Fry who basically just shouted at me – he was one of the bosses with Ross Brawn at the time.
“I remember I was going into his office and telling him I was leaving and he just shouted at me and I basically just started laughing because it was a really uncomfortable situation.
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“I kind of felt for him, for how aggressive he was. He just looked at me and was like ‘why are you laughing at me’? It was the situation and it was just what I didn’t expect.
“I told Ross and he was very friendly and said ‘I think you’re making a big mistake going up alongside Lewis’.
“I was like ‘this is awesome’, a lot of positive energy I am getting here but it happens. I didn’t have a contract for the next year, it didn’t feel like the place for me and McLaren was,” Button explained.
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