Button: Hamilton is “one of the fastest” in F1 history

Jenson Button thinks that Lewis Hamilton is one of the fastest drivers in F1 history. The 2009 world champion is impressed by the mental strength his compatriot has shown this year, he explained to our British colleagues at ESPN F1.

The two drivers know each other very well, having been teammates at McLaren from 2010 to 2012. During these three years, McLaren recorded 18 victories. Nevertheless, their partnership was sometimes tumultuous on the track, such as in the collision at the 2011 Canadian GP, or off the track, with the famous “tweet-telemetry” episode during the 2012 Belgian GP, leaving the two men on icy terms. Since then, however, tensions have cooled.

When he speaks about his former teammate, Jenson Button doesn’t hesitate to praise him: « He is one of the fastest drivers to have ever sat in a Formula 1 car. His natural talent is probably better than anyone else’s in terms of pure speed. But we all know that F1 is not only about natural talent; it also involves building on your natural talent and your engineering skills, as well as your ability to work with hundreds of people in a team to develop a car. »

The former 2009 world champion reflects on his relationship with Lewis Hamilton: « I think he’s good [in this area] and when we were teammates, we had a lot of fun racing together. Sometimes it was controversial, but not often, » he says.

For Button, the 2008 world champion has shown greater maturity this year compared to the time of their collaboration: « For me, seeing him on TV and talking to him, he seemed very comfortable with himself; it wasn’t the Lewis I knew when we were teammates. He seems to handle things well, with the problems he has, I think he’s doing very well. »

« I don’t know if it’s just a facade or if he feels confident inside that he can come back after these problems and fight for the championship, but I really think he can, » he concluded.