Button is happy to have beaten Hamilton this year
If many thought that Jenson Button would be dominated by Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, the 2009 world champion has just proven his ability to remain competitive.
Whatever happens at the last Grand Prix in Brazil, Jenson Button will finish the championship ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton in the world standings.
This will be the first time Hamilton is beaten by his teammate in the championship. Before Button, Fernando Alonso and Heikki Kovalainen had not succeeded in this endeavor.
What makes Jenson Button very happy: « It’s great to score more points than a teammate who is very competitive. You have to win races, and you have to score more points than your teammate. You always have to do a great job on race weekend. »
Their boss at McLaren, Martin Whitmarsh, still expects great competition between his two drivers in Brazil: I know them both well enough to know that they will want to fight to be the one with four victories at the end of the season.
However, Lewis Hamilton does not share this point of view: « That is not the case. We both want to win, but it’s not a big deal if he gets an extra victory. We just need to finish on a high note, that’s what I think. For me, it’s pointless if he finishes ahead of me because we just want to win the championship»
His victory in Abu Dhabi nevertheless galvanized Lewis Hamilton, who, however, cites a particular reason for his good weekend: “It was great to have my mom in Abu Dhabi. She isn’t often there because she takes care of my brother a lot.”
To say that the presence of his family made him drive in a more aggressive manner is a step that Martin Brundle, a commentator for English TV, refuses to take: «Frankly, I don’t understand this concept that family and friends can have an impact on your on-track performance. But I’m from another generation… and I haven’t experienced the pressure that there is on Lewis at the moment.»
