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Button laughs off Ferrari link

Jenson Button says he is happy at McLaren © Sutton Images

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Jenson Button says he will soon sit down with McLaren to discuss a new contract to quash rumours of a move to Ferrari.

Button has been linked with a move to replace Felipe Massa as his contract runs down, with McLaren holding an option on his current deal to extend his stay until the end of 2012. Having previously said he sees himself ending his career at McLaren, comments that he doesn't want to be tied down to a long term contract have fuelled rumours that he is seeking a move, but Button laughed off such claims and said he will soon enter talks to renew his current deal.

"It's hilarious because it's not true," Button said. "I don't know who put that out there, but it wasn't us and it wasn't Ferrari. I think it's just some column inches. I'm sure we're going to have to talk about it soon because it's been mentioned so much in the press. We didn't plan on talking about it quite yet."

Meanwhile, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh is not paying any attention to speculation that Button and team-mate Lewis Hamilton might leave the team at the end of their contracts. Hamilton has also been linked with a move to Red Bull, but Whitmarsh says he has no concerns about losing either driver and has no immediate plans to enter into contract discussions to pin them down.

"As a general statement we've got two great drivers in the team and I think they enjoy being in this team," he told the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in. "They both want to win and I think we've seen them racing each other and other cars to prove that. We'll talk about the future with them when the time comes, but at the moment we're not planning on a different driver line-up."

The Hamilton rumours were sparked after he was spotted talking to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner over the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. But Whitmarsh warned against reading too much into speculative stories.

"I think ultimately Lewis will decide where he's going, but I think he enjoys being in this team," he added. "Lewis as a top driver will be linked to any team that the media think can afford him or satisfy his expectations. I don't pay too much attention to what's written in the media, in my experience it hasn't been a good guide to what is really happening in driver negotiations."

The stories were fuelled by Hamilton's poor results over the past two races, at which he has dropped 35 points to championship leader Sebastian Vettel. Whitmarsh is backing his driver to bounce back at the European Grand Prix this weekend and believes Hamilton is "fired up" to win again with McLaren.

"Lewis has had some tough races but that's what happens in motor racing. He's a passionate, aggressive, very motivated driver, who is one of the most exciting in the world to watch. I don't think he's going to change his approach. He can win this weekend, I'm sure that's what he's determined to do and he'll just be focused on that, he's not going to change his approach. He's been quick but I think things haven't quite gone the way he would have liked them to at the last couple of races, but I think he hasn't lost any form - he's been quick, aggressive and feared by any driver on the track. So let's see how he gets on this weekend, I think he's certainly fired up, in good shape and very enthusiastic to get a great result this weekend."

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