Button: 'I would drive for another team'

Jenson has impressed Williams so far this season

Jenson Button revealed on Thursday he would accept being farmed out to another Formula One team next year.

The 20-year-old is determined to do enough in his rookie year to ensure he keeps his seat with Williams.

But Button has admitted he would drive for another outfit if Williams decided to bring former test driver Juan Pablo Montoya back from America.

Button's future was thrown into the melting pot last week after team chief Frank Williams revealed he had asked Montoya's boss Chip Ganassi if he would release the Colombian a year early from his contract.

I want to stay here for the next few years, but if it came to going to another team then so be it

Jenson Button

"I would prefer to stay with Williams," said Frome-born Button today as he prepared for Sunday's European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in Germany.

"I want to stay here for the next few years, but if it came to going to another team then so be it."

Button is on a long-term rolling contract with the Oxfordshire-based outfit which could decide to loan him to a rival team like Jaguar to give him a couple of years more experience.

"We will just have to wait and see what happens," added the Bicester-based driver. "Nothing has been said to me so far. "Frank hasn't given me any indication yet. I think Frank has been looking at Montoya since the start of the year.

Juan Montoya could be on his way to Williams

"I am not even thinking about Montoya coming back next year. I cannot think about that. It's not unsettling me.

"I am just concentrating on what I am doing. I'm taking it race by race and doing the best job I can and trying to get results."

Button has impressed the team in his five races so far, scoring three points and he would have collected a couple more but for engine failures on his debut in Australia and in Spain a fortnight ago.

But the team also have an option on Montoya, currently defending his CART, formerly IndyCar, title in the United States, as they decide on a partner for Germany's Ralf Schumacher in 2001.

"The team are not putting too much pressure on me," he added. "They are putting slight pressure on me because they want me to get good results."

Williams admitted last week he faced a `nasty and nice problem' deciding between Button or Montoya.

"It is what Jenson does on the track which will make up our mind," said Williams. "We have a long-term option on Montoya's future whenever he comes to F1."