Hamilton: Button is a great champion

[F1boat]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79668

That's very nice :)

[Storm]

Very nice yes. Kind of a pointless post though. (as is this one ;) )

[Big Ben]

I've read the title. I think that's enough.

[Wasted Talent]

At least Lewis Hamilton knows a bit more about these things than some on this forum......

WT

[CNR]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/motorsport/2695924/Jenson-Butto-and-Lewis-Hamilton-in-dream-team.html


:confused:

Button and Lewis in dream team

:confused:


JENSON BUTTON could form a dream British partnership with Lewis Hamilton next season.

Hamilton's McLaren team are considering a sensational move for the new F1 world champion. A source said: "Sponsors Vodafone would be very keen on the idea.
"Just think of the publicity of the top two British drivers of their age going wheel-to-wheel for the title."

Button's contract talks are in deadlock, with his cost-conscious Brawn GP team stalling over his £5million pay rise demand that would take him to £8m a year.
But cash is not an issue for moneybags McLaren which can call on telephone giant Vodafone's £60m annual sponsorship.

[leopard]

Despite his declining performance in couple of last races Button has been steadily leading the season convincingly that may draw Hamilton out to the opinion that Button is a great champion.

I think any champion is great, Button, just like Hamilton was.

[Big Ben]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/motorsport/2695924/Jenson-Butto-and-Lewis-Hamilton-in-dream-team.html


:confused:

Button and Lewis in dream team

:confused:

It's McLaren that actually taught me a valuable lesson: that there is no dream team, at least not the way I thought it would be. You want a dream team? you take a Schumacher and a Barichello and put them in the same team. One's there to win and the other to come as close as possible behind. Or maybe I'm wrong, they could still be a dream team. I'm under the impression JB is not at LH's level so he could do the 2nd driver job.

[Roamy]

what a crock of sh!t - button is not even crowned yet and how would lewis know if he will be a great champion. He may not get a contract with brawn and go back to the bars and hustle some sleazy chicks while be buys into Flav's engine company!!

However it is a bit intrigueing to think button and lewis at mclaren - kimi and nico at brawn

[Garry Walker]

Button is the most pointless champ I can remember.

[Dave B]

Firstly that report comes from the Sun, so treat it with the bucketload of salt it deserves. Secondly, Button's still in contract negotiations with Brawn. Letting the boss think he's got interest from rival teams is classic bargaining. Button's on record as saying he wants to stay put, he's just trying to get his pay back up to something like the level it was at before he took a massive cut.

[V12]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/motorsport/2695924/Jenson-Butto-and-Lewis-Hamilton-in-dream-team.html


:confused:

Button and Lewis in dream team

:confused:

Would be a VERY interesting proposition(!). However I haven't really trusted the linked source since April 1989. If the specialist press start bringing these rumours up, I'll take notice.

But going into hypothetical land for a minute, I seriously doubt Button would want to go, I mean it's Lewis's team. With the rumours of the Mercedes-Brawn buyout, and himself already established as the team's de facto number one, pretty much since 2004, the occasional mild spanking by Rubens aside, why would he want to leave?

I understand him wanting market value as world champion and stuff, but so did Damon Hill in 1997 and look where that left him...

[F1boat]

Would be a VERY interesting proposition(!). However I haven't really trusted the linked source since April 1989. If the specialist press start bringing these rumours up, I'll take notice.

But going into hypothetical land for a minute, I seriously doubt Button would want to go, I mean it's Lewis's team. With the rumours of the Mercedes-Brawn buyout, and himself already established as the team's de facto number one, pretty much since 2004, the occasional mild spanking by Rubens aside, why would he want to leave?

I understand him wanting market value as world champion and stuff, but so did Damon Hill in 1997 and look where that left him...

V12, it was FW who has signed with Frentzen and JV, not Hill leaving the team.

[AndyL]

Button is the most pointless champ I can remember.

What about Hakkinen in 99? And the season's not over yet - both Schumacher in 03 and Lewis last year could both turn out to have been more pointless champions than Button... in the only meaningful sense of the word "pointless" in this context.

[V12]

V12, it was FW who has signed with Frentzen and JV, not Hill leaving the team.

Yes, he was leaving Williams regardless, but I believe he chose a big money move to Arrows over more competitive options that were paying less (or offering incentive-based salaries).

Going from pure memory (so I may not be 100% correct):

1997: Chose Arrows over more competitive Jordan, I believe Walkinshaw was offering the most money at the time.
1998: Went to Jordan, when it was rumoured that McLaren were offering Hill a low basic salary, performance-based per-point package for 1998.

If anyone has either a better memory or sources to hand that can correct either of this please do so :)

[Dave B]

Certainly your theory about 1998 is backed up by Maurice Hamilton's book, in which he reckons that McLaren were offering almost zero salary backed up by a generous win bonus.

[winer]

Button is not a great champion in my opinion. He lucked into winning six races with the advantage of the double diffuser during the first half of the season. As soon as the other teams also got the double diffuser, Button faded away. One podium in nine races. Hardly the sign of a champion. He was just lucky.

Whether or not he will be a good ambassador for the sport over the next year obviously remains to be seen.

[airshifter]

Lewis should have changed his quote to say something like....

"Button doesn't choke like I did and wins the WDC!" :laugh:

[F1boat]

Button is not a great champion in my opinion. He lucked into winning six races

You can not luck into six wins. The car was bloody good, but he performed very well.

[Wasted Talent]

Button is not a great champion in my opinion. He lucked into winning six races with the advantage of the double diffuser during the first half of the season. As soon as the other teams also got the double diffuser, Button faded away. One podium in nine races. Hardly the sign of a champion. He was just lucky.




...........yawn..............

WT

[Koz]

"Button doesn't choke like I did and wins the WDC!" :laugh:

At least Hamilton pushed till the very end. Sure it was stupid of him, but at least it was maximum attack all the way, not struggling to finish in the points.

Regardless now, Button is champ, all I hope is that he isn't knighted.

A champ is a champ though. I don't think any F1 driver can be so politically incorrect or a sore loser as to say he isn't a great champion.
And of course he is British.

[airshifter]

At least Hamilton pushed till the very end. Sure it was stupid of him, but at least it was maximum attack all the way, not struggling to finish in the points.

Regardless now, Button is champ, all I hope is that he isn't knighted.

A champ is a champ though. I don't think any F1 driver can be so politically incorrect or a sore loser as to say he isn't a great champion.
And of course he is British.

I can't fault Hamilton at all for pushing himself too far sometimes. Most great drivers are often their own worst enemies from time to time. Personally I though Button almost did the same in his enthusiasm to wrap up the WDC. He forced some bad lines passing some of the slower drivers, but got lucky enough to not have them impact his race much.

At least Lewis redeemed himself by fighting back and claiming his WDC at the last corner of the last race of the season. Though I felt bad for Felipe coming so close and missing it, Lewis never gave up.

[Roamy]

button's greatest drive may have been this one. That is what you do airshifter if you want to be champ - force a line, make a line, whatever it takes to get by.

[F1boat]

button's greatest drive may have been this one. That is what you do airshifter if you want to be champ - force a line, make a line, whatever it takes to get by.

IMO his greatest drive was Bahrein. Fast, calculated and with brilliant move on Lewis.