It is understood that following Honda's bombshell on Friday, Button was approached by Red Bull 'junior' concern STR, and flying in the face of Dietrich Mateschitz's insistence that the news 'will have no impact on the choice of Toro Rosso's pilots' for 2009 [see separate story – click here], it has been suggested the former Hungarian Grand Prix winner could now be offered a test in one of the Faenza-based squad's cars at Jerez this week.

Team principal Franz Tost worked with Button during the Frome-born ace's maiden campaign in F1 eight years ago, and an STR source claimed: “He would not need to do an audition.”

F1SA also quotes recently-departed STR co-owner Gerhard Berger as stating that Button 'has always been an interesting man', whilst Honda's withdrawal would seem to have drawn a permanent line under 2008 team-mate Rubens Barrichello's long and successful grand prix career after 16 seasons and a record-breaking 267 starts, even if the Brazilian has similarly been linked to a possible role at Toro Rosso.