Schumacher to replace Button as new Mercedez F1 driver: Jordan
Former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan believes Michael Schumacher will replace Jenson Button at the newly-named county team Mercedes for next season.
World champion Button joined Lewis Hamilton at McLaren earlier this week after the Brackley-based Brawn team with which he won the drivers' title was renamed Mercedes.
Speculation has mounted that seven-time champion Schumacher, who could not replace the injured Felipe Massa on a short-term deal at Ferrari last season because of a back injury picked up racing motorcycles, could be drafted into the team run by former Benetton and Ferrari colleague Ross Brawn.
Jordan, who ran an F1 team under his own name based in Silverstone, said: "I believe the Brawn team will have Michael Schumacher in it next year.
"And my reasons for believing that is that at Abu Dhabi, the grand prix, the last race Dr (Dieter) Zetsche – (chairman of the Daimler board) – Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher were deep in conversation and I believe it was to do with possibly joining the team as driver for the 2010 championship," said Jordan.
Meanwhile, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has given Silverstone until December to sign a contract for next year's British Grand Prix before the race is pulled from the calendar.
The governing FIA's world motor sports council will next meet on December 11 to publish the final schedule of the 2010 season.
"The world council will meet and we will just pull it off (the calendar)," said Ecclestone. "We'll have no other choice if we don't have a contract.
"We shouldn't have anything on the calendar unless we have a contract in place."
Ecclestone revealed that if a deal is not reached the race will be removed from the schedule primarily for just one year and not replaced, reducing the calendar to 18 rounds.
"They (Silverstone) are close and they know they are close," he added.
"It's not the terms and conditions so much as whether the investors are prepared to take the risk."
The absence of the race would mean added disappointment next year with two British world champions, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, set to race side by side at McLaren.
"Of course we want a British Grand Prix," said Ecclestone.
"I've been spending an awful lot of time trying to make sure it does happen."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Kettering
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 12 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North east
