JB: Give Lewis a bad car and let's see

Monday 10th November 2008

Although Jenson Button has congratulated Lewis Hamilton his 2008 title succeed, the Brit feels one won't really know how good Hamilton is until he drives a bad car.

Hamilton joined the F1 fraternity at the start of the 2007 campaign with McLaren and finished runner-up in his debut season. He went one better, though, this year, clinching the World title by one point over Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

However, Button reckons it's still too early to judge Hamilton's true ability as the 23-year-old has yet to get behind the wheel of a bad car.

"The guy hasn't been in a bad car," Button told Eurosport. "It's an experience and you learn from it - you become a better driver trying to work with a bad car.

"This car (the Honda) we've tried everything. We might as well have tried to put the front wheels on the back and the back on the front.

"But that helps you to get to know the car (and improve)."

The Brit, though, believes Hamilton has proven himself to be a worthy World Champion - although he concedes he would rather have been the won to bring the title home to Britain.

"I'd rather be World Champion than Lewis, of course," he said. "Because that's why we do what we do.

"But he's done a great job this season.

"He's done it with a team that's produced a very good car, but he's still won the World Championship and he's still beaten his team-mate and the Ferraris, which were very competitive this year."

Your Comments

summerss

"Stop making excuses for Alonso, it is upto him and his engineers to get tyre pressures right. Lewis wasn't whining about it and he had the same car. Part of being a good driver is getting the car setuup right. FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN TO FAIL."

frombelgium

"sss2512 is right and maybe don't know other things like wrong tyres pressure last year always in Alonso's car and never in the car of Lewis and with all those things Alonso finish with the same points than Lewis so we can say that Alonso is better than Lewis with a lot of difference.....Just waiting next year to have a good laugh "

gotifosi

"I don't think it's a biased comment. He didn't indeed hold off Vettel in the Toro Rosso, not Red Bull - my mistake. I agree Vettel had nothing to lose so does that mean Massa won that race and was flawless because he had nothing to lose? Massa had no cushion so I would put Massa under equal or more pressure than Hamilton. Also, Going back to sss2512's point, two years, two different drivers and similar comments on the same team/driver (McLaren/Hamilton)...it doesn't look like coincidence. Being a home grown driver is playing well for Hamilton. As much as I would give due credit to Hamilton for his victory, I feel there are a few fast drivers on the grid who can compete or outpace him if they were given a similar car. "

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