PlanetF1

Button loses first head-to-head clash with Hamilton

Monday 21-December-2009 12:32

Jenson Button has once again insisted that he can beat Lewis Hamilton at McLaren next season - but has lost his first unofficial confrontation with his predecessor as F1's World Champion.

Asked if he felt he could gain the upper hand over his new team-mate during an appearance on the BBC's Top Gear programme, Button replied: "That's the aim. I wouldn't be doing it if I felt I couldn't.

"This is a massive buzz for me. This is so exciting. I've been in Formula One for ten years now and having the chance to race alongside Lewis at McLaren is something I'm really excited about."

Button was in action on the show racing around their test track. He was recorded as completing a lap of 1:44.9 - a time two-tenths of a second slower than Hamilton's in conditions that the programme's host Jeremy Clarkson described as "exactly the same..."