Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton spoke yesterday of the competitive edge and mutual respect that is bringing out the best in the British drivers in what promises to be one of the finest drivers’ championships for years.
Button believes that his experience and maturity have had a positive influence on Hamilton, while the latter appreciates being pushed to the limit by his fellow Briton and world champion.
As the season approaches its halfway stage here on Sunday with the European Grand Prix, the ninth of 19 races, McLaren are in pole position with Hamilton leading the title charge, three points ahead of Button and with the team enjoying a clear lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ standings after three one-two finishes this year.
After his wins in Turkey and Canada, Hamilton is seeking a hat-trick of victories for the first time at a circuit where he has finished second in each of the past two seasons, while Button will not want to cede further advantage to the man he yesterday called his greatest rival in his quest to retain the title.
Button, 30 and five years Hamilton’s senior, has achieved success the hard way, having competed in 180 grands prix, three times as many as his team-mate. “I come with experience of working with different teams,” he said yesterday.
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“I have a different style to Lewis in the way that we drive but I think for myself. Coming here [to McLaren] I have pushed Lewis very hard and he has pushed me very hard.
“We have moved forward, both of us, in terms of our speed and our ability this season. It was the right move for me and I think for the team to employ me. As a package we have done a great job this year.
“Lewis is obviously one of my biggest rivals. There are going to be times when we are wheel to wheel this season and we just have to make sure we respect each other in racing terms and don’t do anything silly.”
Hamilton, who might have wondered what McLaren were doing in luring Button, now understands the qualities he has brought to the Woking-based team, in which he replaced Heikki Kovalainen. “Jenson is getting more results in [than Heikki],” Hamilton said. “That encourages the team even more, because at the end of the day the guys in the factory are pushing so hard to have one-twos all the time.
“The stronger your team-mate, the more support you feel, the more competitive it is. It’s like any competition, if he does a bit better there, you feel you have to get there, and he does the same.”
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Martin Whitmarsh, the team principal, can sit back and enjoy the impact Button has had. “Lewis can learn from Jenson, probably more than he expected,” Whitmarsh said. “Jenson has made some brilliant calls. Lewis has perked up to realise that he [Jenson] is a fantastic, hard-charging racing driver but there’s still scope for him to learn.
“Lewis has got the intelligence and the humility and the intellect to learn and become stronger. I think Lewis wants to be stimulated by a team-mate that’s pushing him very strongly. Jenson is certainly doing that.
“Jenson is a smooth, intelligent driver, very comfortable in his own skin, very balanced and mature. The impressive thing about him is how unaffected he has been by his achievements and his fame, how much he has got his feet on the ground, how charming he is.
“He has won the admiration and support of everybody in this team, including Lewis. For him to be up there giving Lewis a hard time is good for everyone to see. He has exceeded everybody’s expectations in what he has achieved.”