Hamilton: “Button is doing a better job”
Lewis Hamilton concedes that his teammate did a better job than him this season, while for Jenson Button, the objective is to be the best driver at the end of the season and not just better than his teammate.
To those who predicted blood and tears for Jenson Button when he joined McLaren alongside Lewis Hamilton nearly two years ago, the Brit has provided the best possible answer… on the track. After battling for the title until the penultimate race last season and securing two victories, the 2009 world champion is now the last man able to challenge Vettel for the title – a mission that is, however, almost impossible.
« Jenson did an incredible job… » concedes to journalists present at his demonstration in Bangalore, Lewis Hamilton. « I think he did better work [than me] all season, truly. So, even if I do better in the next five races, it won’t mean much to me, I mean, it has to be the case over a whole year. »
Jenson Button indeed shines with his consistency and racing intelligence, while Lewis Hamilton experiences a roller-coaster season. And yet, the numbers speak for the 2008 world champion… at least in qualifying. Indeed, Hamilton, who has always reached Q3, has outperformed his teammate 10 times, with Button even failing in Q2 at the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton thus holds the second-best average starting grid position in the entire field with 3.8, behind Vettel (1.9) but ahead of Webber (3.9), Alonso (4.5), and Button (4.9), who is only fifth.
In the races, the results are more balanced since both drivers have two victories each and have outperformed each other on seven occasions, respectively. However, Button records an average finish position of 3.3 compared to 3.8 for Hamilton, who retired three times – including twice due to collisions –, whereas his teammate only suffered a single mechanical failure, in Silverstone, from a wheel fastening defect. Hamilton has also been penalized five times with a drive-through or a time penalty in the final race standings, while Jenson Button has been penalized only twice. This partly explains why Lewis Hamilton scores, on average, “only” 12 points per race, compared to 13.2 for his teammate, giving the elder McLaren driver a 17-point lead.
« I am happy with the way I am driving, and I am pleased with how the car behaves with me. I really feel like I’m at one with it, which gives a lot of confidence » Jenson Button explained after the race last Sunday. « When I talk to Lewis, I don’t think he has changed his driving style or anything else, we’re just closer on the grid. I got a good start [Sunday] and he had a bad one. It dropped him back in the field, and on a street circuit, you have to take risks. »
The title now being just a formality for Sebastian Vettel, the objective for Button remains to become vice-world champion, something Lewis Hamilton can also aspire to, which, according to some of the press and British fans, suggests a possible resurgence of tension within the McLaren team: “For us, the important thing is to work together until the end of the year. If someone tries to pit us against each other…” Jenson Button remarked. Indeed, for the Englishman, the goal is not to be better than his teammate but to be the best among all drivers at the end of this season: “My goal is to score more points than anyone else over the last nine races, but it will be damn difficult,” he admits.
