“I do think they have a chance” – Jenson Button reckons that Ex-teammate Lewis Hamilton is on for a possible F1 victory on US soil

Jenson Button talking about Lewis Hamilton's race prospects

Jenson Button talked about the prospects of the silver arrows and seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton at the United States Grand Prix held at the Circuit of the Americas. The 15-time race winner was confident about the race pace of both the drivers at the Brackley based squad as the 42-year-old Brit appreciated his old teammate’s performance at this track ever since the race’s inception in 2012.

The Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have qualified fifth and sixth respectively for the US grand prix. Although they will be starting from third and fourth respectively due to the grid penalties taken by Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, giving both Brits a good chance to challenge the front runners. The Brackley based team will have locked out the second row on the grid for today’s race..

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After a lackluster start to the season with a car not capable of winning a race yet, the Silver Arrows have consistently been the third-fastest team on the grid as they have been challenging Red Bull and Ferrari for the podium spots. This can partially be blamed on the porpoising issues faced by the team as well as their ambitious “no sidepod” design concept. The German squad has shifted focus towards its 2023 season hence major improvements are not anticipated so late in the season.

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Jenson Button is confident about Lewis Hamilton’s pace at COTA

Button and Hamilton were teammates in McLaren from 2010-2012

Speaking in an interview, The 2009 F1 world champion said, “For me, I know how good he [Hamilton] is around this track. They don’t have the straight line speed so more difficult for them. But they are consistent through the race with the Mercedes car, and Hamilton in the driving seat. I do think they have a chance, especially with a high deg race.”

The 42 year old showed faith towards his fellow Brit and ex-teammate and believes that the combination of Mercedes and Hamilton can battle with Verstappen and Leclerc for the win at COTA, the race where Lewis previously won his third F1 world championship back in the 2015 United States Grand Prix weekend.

Button’s comments can be considered a bold prediction from the surface, however, when we look at the consistency of both the Mercedes drivers, especially in the races, along with the right strategy and tyre management, they definitely can land up in a place to steal the victory from the championship leaders.