Button takes pay cut to join McLaren

A day after the move was revealed, Button said on Thursday it would be strange being a rival to Brawn after seven years even though his former team, which also won the constructors' title, will now be under the name of Mercedes GP after Monday's takeover by the German car maker.

Button said he would be earning less than at Brawn but it would be a challenge going up against Hamilton Lewis in his own team environment. He said his goal since he was eight years old was to win the world championship and, now he had done that, he felt in need of a new challenge.