Button future up in air

Jenson Button was at the centre of fevered speculation about his Formula One future after it was revealed his services had been offered to two teams.  

Button's Benetton boss Flavio Briatore is understood to have contacted both Jaguar Racing and Jordan offering them the 21-year-old for 2002.

But it is believed that either Prost or Toyota, who will make their debut on the grand prix grid next year, are his more probable destinations.

Button is currently in the first year of a two-season loan deal with Benetton from Williams with whom he had a highly-successful maiden campaign last year scoring 12 points.

The Frome-born racer's second season has turned into a nightmare and his future whereabouts have blown up after another disappointing weekend at the European Grand Prix in Germany.

Button was again over a second off the pace set by his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella in qualifying at the Nurburgring yesterday after which there is understood to have been a heated discussion between the driver's management team and Benetton.

The young Brit's successor at Benetton is likely to be the highly-rated Jarno Trulli, currently at Jordan, or Minardi's young Spaniard Fernando Alonso.

Trulli and Alonso are both contracted to Briatore who will play the determining role in Button's future plans.

Button was expecting to rejoin Williams in 2003 after being loaned out because the team had a long-standing contract with Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya.

But the prospect of moving back to the Oxfordshire-based outfit suffered a setback two days ago when Ralf Schumacher re-signed until the end of the 2004 campaign in a £25million deal.

That left only one place available with Montoya favourite for the seat if he lives-up to expectation after a mixed-start to his F1 career following his title-winning campaign in Champ Cars in the United States.

Jordan would be a good option for Button if Trulli moves to Benetton though the Italian is understood to want to remain with the Silverstone-outfit.

A move to Jaguar in 2002 is highly unlikely with Pedro de la Rosa having already been guaranteed the drive and Eddie Irvine also contracted to race for the team next season.

One of Button's managers, Harald Huysman, insisted today that it was all just speculation, saying: "There is nothing in this."

And Briatore said: "He is staying with us - that is 100% sure."

But a senior source in one of the team's involved confirmed that an offer had been made on Button's services to Jaguar and Jordan.

Briatore's own future is also subject to speculation amid rumours he will move to Asiatech, set to sign an engine supply deal with Prost, once Renault formally take over Benetton for 2002.

Asiatech announced today that they would not be supplying engines to the Orange Arrows team next season.