Button: Talks heading 'in right direction'.

Jenson Button has given the biggest hint yet that a conclusion to the 'Buttongate' saga could be close after admitting that talks about his future are heading 'in the right direction.'

Button signed a contract to race for Williams last year, but since then the situation at both Williams and BAR has changed, with the former losing it's BMW engines and the latter becoming even closer to Honda after the Japanese manufacturer purchased a 45 per cent stake in the team.

That left Button wanting to stay with his current team rather than switch to Frank Williams' team, with talks taking place between the team and Button's legal team to try and resolve the problem - so far without reaching any kind of agreement.

However speaking on the eve of the Belgian GP, Button said that talks were heading in the right direction for both parties, suggesting that an end to the saga could be in sight.

"We have talked and I think that it is going in the right direction," he said. "I think it is going in the right direction for both of us, and we both need to get this cleared up as soon as possible.

"We all want to get everything sorted out before the end of the year so that we can just concentrate on next season."

Williams will be keen to find a solution to the problem sooner rather than later, as the option the team has on current driver Nick Heidfeld expires later this month and they are likely to wish to retain the German driver if Button does stay with BAR.

Should no solution be found to the Button issue before that option expires, then the team could see Heidfeld depart - possibly to BMW - and Button stay to partner Rubens Barrichello at BAR, which would leave Frank Williams to look for a new driver for 2006.