Former F1 champ reveals how Lewis Hamilton mindset has changed

Lewis Hamilton during press conference in Brazil — Photo: © LAT Images

F1 News & Gossip

Former F1 champ reveals how Hamilton mindset has changed

Jenson Button was team-mates with the seven-time champ at McLaren

Chris Deeley

Monday 11 December 2023 09:57

Jenson Button has opened up on how Lewis Hamilton has changed since the pair were team-mates, revealing that the seven-time world champion is now much more relaxed about bad results.

Button was poached away from Brawn GP after his title-winning season in 2009 by McLaren, where he teamed up with Hamilton for the next three years.

The pair were evenly matched by results over those three years, with just a handful of points separating them - although Button did have the single best season, finishing second in the 2011 championship while Hamilton could only finish fifth.

Article continues under video

Hamilton's eventual departure to Mercedes led to six championships in seven years, and cemented the Brit as one of the sport's all-time great drivers, while the older Button remained at McLaren for the rest of his career and never won another race - tasting podium champagne just once more, in Australia in 2014.

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton shared a less fractious relationship than Hamilton and Fernando Alonso

Neither Hamilton nor Button won the drivers' championship as team-mates

Jenson Button has said that Lewis Hamilton has become more relaxed as his career has gone on

Button: I wasn't consistent enough alongside Lewis

Button was asked on Sky Sports how he managed to keep challenging Hamilton every weekend as team-mates, and admitted: “Well, that’s the thing: I didn’t. I had some great days, but the problem is I wasn’t consistent enough alongside Lewis.”

He continued: “He’s unbelievable in terms of his natural ability and I think he’s come a long way since we were team-mates as well in terms of a more rounded character in the car.

“So he’s very difficult to beat and he’s also so relaxed. If he has a bad race, he’s kind of relaxed about it. He wasn’t like that 10 years ago.”

Hamilton has developed that maturity and more relaxed attitude possibly out of necessity, having failed to win a single race in either of the last two seasons as Red Bull continue their newfound dominance of the sport.

Lewis Hamilton Mercedes McLaren Jenson Button Brawn GP