Thank God for Jenson Button.

Never before in Formula One has the background noise been more deafening.

Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, motor sport’s governing body, refuses to bow to almost universal pressure from within the sport to step aside; the teams are once again talking about the prospect of a damaging breakaway series and Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One commercial rights-holder, is at the heart of a new scandal after expressing his admiration for Adolf Hitler.

Ecclestone is heading for a difficult reception when he arrives here today before Sunday’s German Grand Prix. Mario Theissen, the team principal of BMW Sauber, yesterday became the first prominent figure in the paddock to make clear his revulsion at the British billionaire’s comments during an interview with The Times at the weekend. In it he praised the Nazi leader for his ability “to get things done”.

“It’s obviously wrong, disgusting,” Theissen said. “Apparently he was shocked himself when he was confronted by what he had said. He has made some comments and, from what I have heard, he will make some more comments as soon as he is here and I think this is necessary.”

What a mess this sport is in. Somewhere inside it, however, you can find the always polite Button quietly trying to focus on what is inspirational about the pinnacle series in world motor sport; the best car racing on the planet. The Briton is even trying to fulfil his own dream in a rather old-fashioned way. Nothing to do with politics, with scandal or the overblown egos of those who run Formula One, the Brawn GP driver just wants a World Championship. And he, like millions of fans the world over, is fed up with all the negative publicity.

“I have seen a few headlines but I haven’t read anything about it,” he said of Ecclestone’s remarks. “It’s nothing to do with my job and I don’t really want to talk about it. There’s a lot of background noise and there’s a lot of negative press but I don’t think it has hurt the sport. I don’t think it has hurt the racing because when people turn on the TV they are still getting good racing.”

Button offered the hope that Formula One could resolve its issues off the track as soon as possible. “I just hope it sorts itself out — it has been going on long enough,” he said of the row over budget capping and the determination of the teams to send Mosley packing. “This is a great sport — maybe it needs to be tweaked in certain ways but that’s it. We have so many viewers and look at Silverstone [where the British Grand Prix was staged three weeks ago], it was rammed. So the sport is obviously doing well.”

Button’s aspirations in this department may be some time in coming to fruition, with team principals making clear yesterday that Mosley’s attempt to go back on an agreement not to stand as FIA president for a fifth time in October could lead to a resuscitation of a breakaway championship. John Howett, the president of Toyota Motorsport, said a rebel series was still very much an option and could be organised quickly. “It’s still there, but we still have to act in a professional and sensible way,” Howett said. “I don’t think we’ve ever taken it away. We’ve just put it on the backburner.”

On the subject of his prospects this weekend, Button warned that conditions at a showery Nürburgring might, once again, not suit his car as much as some of the hot tracks of earlier in the season.

At Silverstone the “Frome flyer” was desperate to win in front of a packed house at his home race but the Brawn machine never “switched on” in cold temperatures and Button finished sixth.

“It won’t be as bad as Silverstone,” the 29-year-old said. “I don’t know what to expect really. I’m here to win. That’s got to be the aim. If I come away and I finish third or fourth, I’d be disappointed.”