Contracts 501

One of the classes that every first year law student takes all over the country (and all over the world, probably) is contracts, the study of obligations between parties. The cases I studied set forth a dizzying array of issues that arise in contract disputes, but they were strictly amateur stuff when it comes to Formula 1 contracts. They simply aren't what they seem. Take, for example, the case of Jenson Button. Button is the lead driver for BAR-Honda. Last year, as BAR enjoyed its best season ever, Button made it known that he was intent on moving over to Williams-BWM for the 2005 season. Most commentators thought he was nuts. Sniping and litigation ensued. The result was an agreement that allowed Button to stay at BAR this year and delayed the move to Williams until 2006, if certain things happened (or, rather, didn't happen). Those events occurred and Frank Williams is ready to collect on his contract. Button, for his part, now wants to stay with BAR. That's reasonable, given Williams's horrible season to date and their loss of BWM motors for 2006. To be fair, however, BAR hasn't been much better. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. One thing is for sure: it should be a case study for advanced-level contract students for years to come.