Jenson Button claims Lewis Hamilton has ‘come a long way’ since their McLaren days

Jenson Button highlighted how Lewis Hamilton has improved as a driver in the past decade.

Jenson Button claims Lewis Hamilton has ‘come a long way’ since their McLaren days

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton (images via: IMAGO)

Lewis Hamilton sustained a mediocre season in 2023 despite finishing P3 in the championship. However, despite Hamilton’s recent winless stint in the past two seasons, his former McLaren teammate Jenson Button claimed that the seven-time world champion had improved significantly over the past decade.

The former British driver applauded Lewis Hamilton and commented that he was unbelievable in terms of his natural ability to race. In addition to this, Button also added that he had come a long way since they were teammates a decade back in McLaren. He claimed that Hamilton had gotten a more rounded character in the car on the grid.

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.
Jenson Button told Sky Sports F1
YouTube video

The 2009 F1 champion even addressed the winless stint from Hamilton over the past two seasons. Button described him as a tough driver to beat but noted his relaxed demeanor despite not winning races. Hamilton, who seemed to never be calm after a bad race a decade ago when Button was his teammate at McLaren, now maintains a composed and relaxed attitude.

FS Video
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.

Lewis Hamilton showered his faith over the development of W15

The disappointing W14 this year was the tip of the iceberg for Mercedes’ failure in the season. Despite finishing second in the constructors’ standings, the team nearly lost out to Ferrari in the standings and also revealed a lot of weak spots for the Brackley-based outfit of Mercedes. The Mercedes crew and Lewis Hamilton have spoken highly about the development of the W15 for the next season.

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton.
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)

The 38-year-old displayed optimism and faith in the under-developing W15 and the crew that was continuously working on the car. Hamilton showered hope over a realistic chance of challenging the front-runners in the next season of Formula 1. Additionally, Toto Wolff had also talked about the ongoing development of the car and revealed that the method of development for the W15 would be more ‘conventional’.

Although the team could not manage to win any races in the season, a few podium finishes and good qualifying sessions still showcased the winning mindset of the team. The drivers were also working hard for the betterment of the team all around the season. As the team continues its development over the winter break, the team aims at potentially winning the championship next season.

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