Jenson Button’s rivalry does not excite Lewis Hamilton
If the new Mercedes driver claims that his rivalry with his former teammate excites him less than the one with Fernando Alonso, it remains that by deciding to leave McLaren, he has chosen a path diametrically opposed to that of Jenson Button.
Teammates for three seasons, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will once again be opponents in different teams, with one now having the keys to the Woking house while the other has chosen to play the part of the runaway at Mercedes. The collaboration between the two British drivers, while it never reached the explosiveness of the Alonso-Hamilton partnership in 2007, nevertheless ended in a tense atmosphere marked notably by the outbursts of the Stevenage native on Twitter during the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix.
If some are ready to closely follow the Button-Hamilton rivalry in 2013, the replacement for Michael Schumacher at Mercedes dismisses any interest in this supposed rivalry: « It doesn’t really excite me. The rivalry with Fernando [Alonso] excites me more. He’s the guy I want to beat just like Seb [Vettel] because they’re the ones with the most titles. But Alonso is the fastest driver I know, he’s also the most experienced. Anyone struggles to beat him. Trying to finish ahead of Alonso, in a Ferrari that is very competitive, is really a cool challenge. And I think the Ferrari will be fast this year. »
But above all, Lewis Hamilton wants to make his mark in the history of the top discipline in motor sports and still asserts today that money was not the motivation for his departure from McLaren: « I must clearly say that it would have been much more lucrative to stay with McLaren. » The ambition of the Briton, who will begin his seventh season in Formula 1, is to follow in the footsteps of Michael Schumacher: « For a short period, I was unique, as the youngest world champion, then I was beaten by Vettel. Fernando had his successes. I expect to win, to excel. In the end, I want to achieve greatness. I want to prove what I am capable of year after year. Michael [Schumacher] is seen as one of the greatest of all time, Seb [Vettel] is as well. I want to be seen like that too. »
The Briton claims to be 100% confident and happy with the decision he made to leave McLaren: By staying, I was guaranteed to be competitive. […] I know I have joined a team that was not able to compete with the car I had last year – in some races, there was a 1″9 qualifying deficit between Mercedes and McLaren – but we are all hungry for change. I think Mercedes will impress this year.
For his part, Jenson Button believes that history still has to be written with McLaren: « It’s the ideal place for me in the long term. Some have left because they felt there was another challenge to take on or something they lacked […] but there is still so much to accomplish here. When we presented our 2013 car, it was wonderful to see the cars McLaren had brought out for its 50th anniversary, to think about the team’s history and the championships won. We truly are a spectacular team. I want to contribute to this history, not just this year, but in the years to come. »
In the absence of an on-track rivalry, the two men will not escape comparison this season, each assessing Lewis Hamilton’s success at Mercedes through the lens of what he could have achieved by staying, like Button, at McLaren.
