2009 world champion Jenson Button (Right) turned the airwaves blue after drawing his season to a close in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. (Photo: LAT Photographic) » More Photos

BBC Apologizes For Button 'F-Word': 2009 world champion-elect Jenson Button turned the airwaves blue after drawing his season to a close in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. As he chatted happily with fellow podium-finisher Mark Webber about their late-race scrap before going onto the podium, he let slip the 'F-word' that was beamed live to millions of international viewers. "We apologize for any offence caused and we apologized immediately on air after it happened. It is part and parcel of live broadcasts," said a spokesman for the British broadcaster BBC.

Coulthard Eyes Return To Racing: Spending the entire 2009 season trackside but without a cockpit to occupy has left David Coulthard wanting to extend his career as a racing driver. The 38-year-old Scot was Red Bull's reserve driver for most of this year, but his primary role was as an expert pundit for the British television broadcaster BBC. "I was fine at the start of the year, but by the end the old competitive juices were bubbling to the surface," Coulthard, a veteran of almost 250 Grands Prix, wrote in a column for the Telegraph. "At 38, I know I have some racing left in me -- not in Formula One, perhaps, but in other series and challenges," he added while in Beijing ahead of the Race of Champions, to also be contested by the likes of Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel.

Hulkenberg Manager Hails Williams Line-Up: Willi Weber has welcomed Williams' appointment of Rubens Barrichello for 2010. Weber, famous for handling Michael Schumacher's successful career, is now the manager of German rookie Nico Hulkenberg, who will be Brazilian veteran Barrichello's teammate next season. "Rubens is a super driver from whom Nico can certainly learn a lot," Weber told the SID news agency. Hulkenberg, 22, has won every major championship he has ever entered, including Formulas BMW and Euro F3, A1GP, and the 2009 GP2 series. Williams technical director Sam Michael said the selection of Barrichello, F1's most experienced driver and a winner of 11 Grands Prix, is ideal for the youngster. "We didn't want him to come in as a rookie and not have that support," the Australian told Reuters. "He (Hulkenberg) will get to look at someone who is a multiple Grand Prix winner and look at how they work and how they blend the team around them and get the team to do the best job for them," Michael added.