Was Button forced out of Brawn GP to make way for Schumacher?

London: Formula One champion Jenson Button may have been forced out of Brawn GP to make way for Michael Schumacher.

The possible reason why Button opted to partner Lewis Hamilton at McLaren became clear after legend Schumacher's secret comeback talks with Brawn were revealed.

Schumacher met old friend Ross Brawn at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this month.

Raikkonen open to Mercedes offers, says manager

The seven-time Formula One champ is set to spearhead Mercedes Grand Prix, which has bought 75 per cent of Brawn, if Ferrari release him from a consultancy role, The Sun reports.

Schumacher's former boss Eddie Jordan said: "I believe it is going to happen. It started with a meeting between Michael, Ross Brawn and Daimler chief executive Dieter Zetsche at the Abu Dhabi GP."

"At the moment, Michael cannot drive for Mercedes because he has a consultancy contract with Ferrari. But I understand he was due to meet Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo with a view to being released. Michael likes the idea of driving a Mercedes run by Ross. It's a mouth-watering idea," he said.

More Formula 1 News

Button signed for McLaren in a 21 million pound deal to partner Hamilton.