Button Tops Williams Shootout.

Jenson Button stole a narrow lead over rival Bruno Junqueira in the race for
the second Williams seat by pipping the Brazilian in today's Barcelona
shootout.


The Grove outfit extended its test at the Circuit de Catalunya in order to
give both the young Briton and his South American adversary the best chance
of impressing team bosses Frank Williams and Patrick Head, after engine
problems restricted both drivers to just a handful of laps in the preceding
week.


In the course of between twenty and thirty laps, Button came out on top of
the timesheets, shading Junqueira by 0.16secs to take a slim advantage in
the battle to partner Ralf Schumacher. The British F3 series contender also
completed fewer laps than his rival, although this is unlikely to have any
bearing on the team's decision.


Williams personnel gave no indication, however, of which driver was likely
to get the nod for the coming season. Button's performances have had both
the British and international media claiming that he is the man to join
Schumacher in the team, but Junqueira is known to have access to greater
financial backing than the 20-year old from Somerset, and this may yet play
a vital part in Williams' decision.


"Both drivers did a very good job," said a team spokesman, "They kept the
car on the road, and the sessions were totally trouble-free. It will be a
very tough decision to make."


Williams is due to launch its 2000 contender in Barcelona tomorrow [Monday]
and, along with unveiling the latest car, is expected to announce both a new
sponsor and final driver line-up. For two drivers fresh out of the FW21B, it
will be a long wait.