Ross Brawn has said that the champion team will not be willing to simply match whatever salary Jenson Button wants for 2010, insisting that the world champion would be given flexibility with his personal sponsors instead.
Button has still not secured a new deal to drive for the Brawn GP team next year, despite securing the 2009 drivers championship for the team, as well as helping them to the constructors championship.
Button is believed to want a pay rise back to his old Honda salary, after taking a pay cut of around £5 million to help the Brawn team when they secured a buyout of the Japanese manufacturer's team.
The contract negotiations dominated the headlines before the end of the season, with the rumour mill even suggesting that Button could move to McLaren if his demands were not met.
But despite no end to the issue in sight, team boss Ross Brawn has said that the team will not necessarily bow to Button's. demands, saying that: "We can offer a higher proportion of driver freedom and that will probably be the route we will go. Jenson has some freedom for his own endorsements but has a commitment to meet our obligations."
Brawn had hoped to wrap up his 2010 line-up in the weeks following the 2009 finale, but little progress seems to have been made. The champions are believed to prefer a line-up of Button and Nico Rosberg, who parted company with Williams at the end of the 2009 season.
Button has had contract issues in the past, famously buying himself out of an agreed contract for 2006 with Williams in favour of remaining at the BAR-Honda team.
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