Button was close to Ferrari switch: 'But then Domenicali left'

Jenson Button hopes Ferrari manages to turn the tide soon. The 2009 world champion sees the Italian formation having problems, especially on Sundays and he hopes the current number four in the constructors' championship will come up with answers soon. Indeed, Button is a fan of Ferrari and also let La Gazzetta dello Sport know that he would have loved to drive for the iconic formation.

If Mattia Binotto was to be believed last year, at least it was not down to the drivers. Indeed, according to the former team boss, Ferrari had the best driver line-up. Button does not entirely agree. "All three big teams have great duos. So no, I stand slightly differently. And the two [Norris and Piastri] at McLaren are also young, but strong. The great thing is that at all these teams there is no first and second driver. There is so much talent in Formula 1 these days."

But no matter what Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz try during the races, the level they manage to achieve in qualifying is miles away. The same was true in 2022, so Button is a little surprised that Ferrari still hasn't got it right. "Last year was tough, even though they had a good car. They got strategies wrong, they made mistakes that cost a lot of points. It was a good chance to fight for the title and it didn't happen."

Button hopes for recovery

Many of those problems seem to have been fixed, based on the first five Grands Prix of the season, but now another problem seems to be the biggest challenge. "It seems the car is not competitive enough. In a few it looks good, but then the settings don't work for the race. We all want to see Ferrari at the front, whether you're Italian or not..."

Button then reveals that he has always wanted to race for Ferrari, but that it ultimately (just) didn't happen. "I had really wanted it. And it was almost there too. When Domenicali was there, we talked often. We had already discussed many points in the contract, but then he left and the deal fell through. A real shame. It would have been exciting. Every driver would want to drive for Ferrari at some point in his career. It's a dream."