autoevolution
 

Button and Barrichello Hit Back at Briatore's Comments

Jenson Button hit back at criticism from Renault boss Flavio Briatore, reminding the Italian boss that he tried to employ him for the 2009 season. Shortly after the International Court of Appeal cleared the double-decker design on Wednesday, Briatore fumed at the FIA for destroying the credibility of the sport in an interview for Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

According to the Italian official, one argument to sustain his comments is that the drivers now leading the championship are not F1 champion material and are there only thanks to the artificial advantage of the rear diffuser design. In his own words, “our drivers are or have been world champions, and then you have a (Brawn) driver who was almost retired, and another who is a 'paracarro' (concrete roadside post in Italian), fighting for the championship.”

As the “almost retired” part of his argument was an obvious referral to F1 veteran Rubens Barrichello, the “paracarro” is yet to be determined. However, Button felt the need to answer to Briatore's critics, arguing these comments should only be regarded as the sayings of “a very angry man”.

“Unless he is at the front of F1, I am sure [he thinks] any team [being there] hurts the credibility of F1. He also needs to remember that he tried to employ me for this year, so... He is obviously a very angry man after the diffuser issues and he is obviously very disappointed that they haven't produced a car that is as competitive as ours,” said Button to the media during Friday's action at Shanghai.

“They have worked very, very hard in very difficult circumstances and it is very, very unfair for Flavio to comment as he has just because he is a little bit bitter – he should also not forget he tried to employ me for this season,” stressed the British driver.

Teammate Rubens Barrichello was also critical of Briatore's comments, referring to the Italian boss as a “bad loser”.

“I think that is stupid. Really. What a comment. If we all think that we need Ferrari and McLaren to win, why are the others here? There are plenty of good people in the paddock and plenty of bad losers,” added the F1 veteran.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories