Ex-Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button asserts that Lewis Hamilton is right to consider his team-mate record tougher than Max Verstappen but says he would be “more fearful” of the latter.

On the eve of Verstappen breaking the F1 consecutive wins record at Monza last Sunday, Hamilton took aim at the Dutchman’s success by claiming he is yet to encounter a team-mate as strong as he has.

Whilst Hamilton has gone up against three separate World Champions in his extensive career, Verstappen is yet to be partnered in the same team by an F1 title winner.

However, Button, who was Hamilton’s team-mate at McLaren between 2010-2012, reveals he would rather avoid trying to match up to Verstappen in equal machinery.  

“I think Lewis has had some very tough team-mates, he’s had World Champions as team-mates, whereas Max hasn’t,” Button told Sky Sports at the Goodwood Revival.

“But for me, I would be more fearful going up against Max in the same car. And I think it is because the car is designed around his style, or he can drive a car that Adrian Newey gives him.

“I think Adrian gives him a car and says, ‘This is the quickest car in the world. If you take away front downforce, it’s going to go slower, but it’ll be easier to drive.’

“And Max is, ‘Right, I have to drive how you’ve made this car, and I need to drive it as quick as I can.’ So I think that he’s very good at that. And I think a lot of drivers struggle to compete with that.”

Pressed again on the conversation prompted by Hamilton’s remark last week, Button continued: “It’s a difficult one. I think Lewis has had more difficult team-mates, but I also wouldn’t want to go up against Max.”

Meanwhile, the 2009 World Champion has grouped the pair with Fernando Alonso as the three drivers he believes stand out above the rest on the current grid.

“They’re all unbelievable drivers, the best in the world,” Button continued. “And some of the best we’ve ever seen in F1. I wish there was more competition at the front, between Max, Lewis, and Fernando, those three for me are the ones that stand out.

“But it’s not the way in F1. It’s a technology race and Red Bull, fair play to them, they’re doing a better job right now.”

Button was then asked to weigh in on Lando Norris’ situation at McLaren, insisting the British driver would be wise to opt for the team that will provide a car that suits his driving style amid the struggles many of Verstappen’s team-mates have experienced.

However, Button believes Norris should remain open to a move to Red Bull to partner the reigning World Champion in case McLaren fails to make the necessary strides to become a credible title contender.

“The issue is you have to be the best to be a World Champion,” Button assessed. “And that was the whole thing for me when I left Brawn [at the end of 2009].

“I was like, ‘I have to go to McLaren because I need to race against Lewis Hamilton’, who was regarded as the best. And I think that’s what he’s got to decide he wants to do.

“I think if he’s clever, he will decide on a car that suits his style. And I think we’ve seen from a lot of drivers, the Red Bull doesn’t suit many drivers, apart from Max.

“So, it’s not an easy decision for him. He’s not in a car that can win right now. And it probably won’t next year either, I don’t think.

“He’s got to be looking elsewhere for 2025. Or he puts his trust in McLaren. They’ve won races, they’ve won championships, and it can come back around.

“So, as long as he can see the future and think that they’re in a good place as a team, and it gives him confidence, stay there. If not, go and fight Max Verstappen in his own team. But that’s a hard one.”

2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button has indicated that Max Verstappen may need to race outside of the series if he is to be considered the greatest driver.

Button took part in the 24 Hours of Spa in 1999 and, after his 17-year F1 spell came to an end in 2016, he returned to endurance racing.

The 15-time F1 race winner contested the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2018 having come back to F1 for a one-off appearance at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix, and he is in the infamous French race again this weekend with the Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR entry.

READ MORE: Verstappen suggests Ferrari switch would be ‘dream’ F1 move

He tried his hand in the NASCAR cup series earlier this year alongside Kimi Raikkonen, who himself has sporadically taken part in American stock racing and rallying during a career that saw him win the F1 title in 2007.

Verstappen has won the title in each of the last two years and currently leads the way in 2023. The first of his 40 wins in the pinnacle of motorsport arrived in Barcelona seven years ago at just 18 years old.

The Dutchman is already widely recognised as one of the greatest racing drivers in the world, but Button thinks there is something in the argument that F1 drivers need to prove themselves elsewhere to go down as greats.

“There’s every possibility that Max [Verstappen] could go down as the greatest but I like the idea that you can’t be the best driver in the world if you haven’t stepped outside of F1,” he told The Times.

Button, Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Mario Andretti are just a few names in a copious list of F1 drivers who have transcended the sport and raced in alternative series or disciplines.

Button used his former McLaren team-mate Alonso, who currently races with Aston Martin in F1, as an example of a driver who has succeeded elsewhere and displayed notable longevity.

“Fernando has done a phenomenal job,” added the 43-year-old. “He left F1 and came and raced in Le Mans and Daytona, won both, then won Le Mans again. I don’t think his performance has dropped away in his forties.”

Jenson Button says Lewis Hamilton is still “hungry” to win another Formula 1 World Championship and expects him to stay put at Mercedes for the 2024 season.

Hamilton’s contract runs out at the end of the year but both the Brit and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff have repeatedly issued they intend to get an extension sorted.

But no deal has been agreed yet and speculation has continuously mounted that Hamilton could elect to walk away with Mercedes off the pace again this year.

However, Button, who partnered Hamilton at McLaren for three seasons between 2010-2012, believes his former team-mate is desperate to win a record-breaking eighth World Championship and expects he will pen a new contract with Mercedes.

“I don’t think Lewis is going to walk away from the sport,” he said. “I think as a racing driver, you have two things. One is you’re winning for so long and then you’re suddenly not, you want to fight back to winning. So you’re not going to retire.

“And then you can come at it the other way. If you’ve been in a in a bad car, you want to retire. If you’ve been there for many years in a bad car. Because it just gets you down.

“Lewis is not in a bad car. He’s in a car that’s not as good as what he’s used to. I get that. But I think he knows the strength of the team, he knows how quick he is still, so I think he’s going to work with this team to get back to fighting with Red Bull. And I think they will.

“It probably won’t be this year, but 2024, I think we’ll see Lewis Hamilton on the grid. I think he’s still hungry. He’s still hungry to win another world championship.”

Having joined the McLaren young driver programme in 1998, Hamilton was promoted to a race seat with the Woking outfit alongside reigning double World Champion Fernando Alonso for 2007.

The Stevenage-born racer surprised many, including the Spaniard, with his breathtaking speed and assured consistency as a rookie to come within a whisker of sealing the title in his debut year.

With Alonso departing after a solitary acrimonious year, Hamilton righted the wrongs of the previous campaign to become World Champion for the first time in 2008, breaking the hearts of the Brazilian locals as he took the title from Felipe Massa’s grasp on the final lap at Interlagos.

But following McLaren’s inability to get it right over the next four frustrating years, Hamilton packed his bags and made the shock move to Mercedes for 2013, where he has since added six Drivers’ titles to match the legendary Michael Schumacher at the pinnacle of the sport.

The Briton also surpassed the German for the most pole positions and race wins in F1 history, edging the benchmark number for both over the three-digit mark.

Hamilton was set to eclipse Schumacher to stand alone at the top on eight World Championships as he led the final round of 2021 in Abu Dhabi by a comfortable margin over title rival Max Verstappen.

However, a controversial decision by the FIA race director Michael Masi to allow the lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen through during a late Safety Car period culminated in the Red Bull driver overtaking the Mercedes on the final lap once the race resumed to claim the grand prize.

With the overhaul to the technical regulations the following year witnessing Mercedes fall from the top of the order for the first time since the V6 turbo-hybrid engines were introduced in 2014, Hamilton failed to score a pole position or a win over a full season for the first time in his F1 career in 2022.

Opting to retain faith in its zero sidepod concept for this year, Mercedes failed to make a big enough step over the winter to challenge the dominant Red Bull side, leading Wolff to declare at the first race weekend of the season the Brackley squad needs to revise its car philosophy.

Although Mercedes has struggled in the early stages of 2023 with a capricious car package, Hamilton has remained in good form and registered the German marque’s sole podium finish with a second-place finish in Australia.

Ex-Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button says Sergio Perez would establish himself as a true challenger for the 2023 title if he won this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.

Perez scored his second win in four races in Azerbaijan to become the first two-time winner in Baku and mark his best-ever start to an F1 season.

Combined with his Sprint victory on Saturday, Perez has reduced the deficit to Verstappen, who finished third and second in the two races, to just six points heading to Miami.

Button expresses that he has been mightily impressed by the Mexican’s early-season form and believes a win at the Miami International Autodrome could spur him onto a proper title charge.

“I am really impressed with Sergio,” the Brit said. “Max, he has to be the toughest team-mate, because he just gets out there and gets it done in terms of his speed.

“I think [Perez] did a really good job at the weekend, and back-to-back wins if you like with the sprint race and the main event. That will give him a lot of confidence.

“I think we are only going to really know when we go to the next race. Kind of a street race as well: If he can pull out a win there, I mean that would be a massive deal for him. And I think that would give him confidence for the season.”

Since his switch to Red Bull in 2021 Perez has been unable to consistently be a threat to Verstappen’s intra-team supremacy as the Austrian outfit’s leading star.

The ex-McLaren driver has ended up 205.5 and 149 points respectively behind his team-mate in the standings in the previous two seasons, and only scored three wins to Verstappen’s 25.

Therefore, Button claims Perez needs to showcase that the performance he managed in Baku can be a regular occurrence to properly challenge Verstappen.

“We haven’t seen him throughout the season obviously be as competitive as Max,” the 2009 champion stated. “Max is on it every weekend.

“Lewis Hamilton: on it every weekend, pretty much. Maybe not so with the car this year. But that’s normally the way that they go racing, and that’s why they’re so difficult to beat over a season. Whereas Checo has been a lot more up-and-down.

“It’s much more difficult to win a championship like that when you’re up against Max. So I think the consistency is where Sergio has been lacking. The consistency to pull it out the bag. But if he can do it in Miami, I think he has a chance to fight for the championship.

“I didn’t think I’d be saying that, I really didn’t. But it’s great to see he’s got so much confidence in that car. And it’s good for the sport. We need it because the Red Bull obviously has an advantage at the moment.

“We need both them to be fighting. And I think Max is also like ‘fair play to Checo’. He’s done a really good job. So it adds to the title fight, we need it this season. So come on Checo!”

2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button took on a new adventure last weekend, as he made his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Button has dipped in and out of racing categories since he departed F1 at the end of the 2016 season.

For his NASCAR debut, which was spent with Rick Ware Racing, Button returned to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas – a track that is familiar to him through his F1 career.

William Byron took pole for the race, with Button setting a time that was good enough for 24th out of 39 drivers.

Button got in the mix straight away and made up two positions in the opening sectors, but dropped back to 26th by the time he completed his first tour of the track.

The race was filled with caution periods, but Button kept out of major trouble and avoided race-ending damage, despite being involved in the wards.

In the end, he took the chequered flag in 18th place.

However, a major factor in his race was temperature inside the car, admitting that he almost retired due to heat exhaustion.

“Finished 18th after almost stopping because I had heat exhaustion,” Button said.

“It was so hot, I don’t have a fan in my seat which really didn’t help me too much. It was so hot, I thought I was going to faint in the car. 

“So, I stopped twice for a minute. They put ice on me, gave me loads of water, and I went back out. I was so close to getting out of the car because I thought I was going to faint. 

“I must’ve drank eight [or] nine bottles of water during the race. The team kept me calm, and it’s the reason why we got a good result in the end. So, I was happy.”

Button also revealed that his car wasn’t feeling right after he made contact with former F1 rival Kimi Raikkonen, who made his first outing in the Cup Series after his 2022 debut.

Raikkonen finished the race in 29th.

“I also had a massive whack from Kimi, and it fell off after that,” Button said. “The car wasn’t quite right. Every time I turned in, the rear tyres would chatter, then immediately to oversteer. 

“It was really difficult, but towards the end, we made some good calls stopping and putting on fresh tires. I enjoyed the last three restarts – got good placement and good overtaking moves from the outside.”

Button will be back competing in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Chicago Street Course event on July 2.

Ahead of his NASCAR debut, 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button has identified stage points as something the pinnacle of motorsport could learn from the American stock car series.

Along with fellow F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen, Button will race at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas in the cup series in two weeks, before taking part in two further events in Chicago and Indianapolis this summer.

The cup series points system sees points handed out in three stages of the race, and Button feels this is something F1 could explore.

READ MORE: Button to contest three NASCAR Cup rounds in 2023

“I think the great thing about F1 is they are very open to changes and tickling it here,” he said. “We have the sprint races, which I think work really well. Not everyone’s going to be happy when you change a sport that has been the same for so long. But I like that change.

“In NASCAR they have stage points through the race. That could make it interesting because it depends on when you pit for tyres.

“If you get points at certain points through the race, if it’s lap, 20 lap 40 and the end of the race, it might change strategies around. Who knows? I don’t know if it would work.”

The 43-year-old, who has also tried his hand in endurance racing, is happy with where F1 is but affirms that it needs to keep trying new things.

“I think F1 is in a great place, I enjoy the racing,” added Button. “The dream in F1 is that the cars are lighter, that’s always the dream, because I think as drivers, we like lightweight cars – he says, as he’s about to race a stock car!

“But I’m happy with where F1 is, as long as we’re ready to tickle things here and there if we think it’s necessary, and try it and not be afraid.”

Jenson Button has claimed Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s domination of the Bahrain Grand Prix hasn’t made the 2023 Formula 1 title fight a foregone conclusion.

Verstappen, chasing a third successive championship this year, began his title defence by cruising to victory in the season-opening race.

Sergio Perez in the sister RB19 recovered from losing a place at the start to solidify a convincing 1-2 finish for the reigning Constructors’ champions.

With Verstappen crossing the line 36s clear of the nearest non-Red Bull car, Mercedes driver George Russell suggested the Austrian outfit has the capacity to win every single race in 2023.

However, Button, who will debut in the NASCAR Cup series this year, believes the unique nature of the Bahrain circuit means it would be premature to proclaim Verstappen and Red Bull have both F1 titles already sewn up.

“I know that a lot of drivers have said, well, it’s going to be an easy championship for Red Bull and Max,” he highlighted. But how can you say that? We’ve only tested at one track; we’ve only raced at one track.

“And we all know that Bahrain is very unique in the way that the cars work there. It’s a heavy braking, traction circuit, it’s not so much about high-speed.

“So we can’t say that. I think we’ll understand a bit more after Saudi, which is more of a fast-flowing track. And also when we get the European races.

“So no, it’s not a walk in the park for Red Bull and Max. It’s a great start to the season, and very different to what they had last year. But I still think we’re going to have some very, very close fights.

“And I don’t think it’s going to be a straightforward win for Red Bull and Max. But I loved the first race.

I thought it was action-packed and that’s what I look for. I look for great racing, and great fights.”

One of the battles Button referenced was a closely fought tussle between Alonso and one of the Spaniard’s long-time adversaries, Lewis Hamilton.

Despite the Brit’s determination, Alonso eventually scythed his way past the Mercedes with a cunning move on the inside at the downhill left-hander of Turn 10.

Although there was to be no fight for the win, Button was enthused by the quality of the racing spectacle produced for the rest of the places below Red Bull.

“It looked like a relatively easy race, especially for Max,” the 2009 F1 World Champion recalled. “But I have to say, forgetting who won the race, it was a great race. It was too easy for Max, yes, it was. But the race itself was great.

“I loved the action, there was so much action. To see two multiple world champions going at it, Lewis and Fernando, it was pretty special.”

Jenson Button will make his NASCAR Cup debut in 2023 after signing up to contest three rounds this season.

Button, the 2009 Formula 1 World Champion, will debut on March 26 at the Circuit of the Americas before also running the inaugural Chicago Street Race on July 2 and the Indianapolis Road Course on August 13.

Button will drive the No. 15 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang fielded by Rick Ware Racing with promotional and marketing support from Stewart-Haas Racing.

The NASCAR outings will be in conjunction to Button contesting this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours as part of the Garage 56 effort that is bringing a modified stock car to the French endurance event.

“The first time I jumped into the Garage 56 car, it was like, ‘What have I done? This is so different,’ and that lasted about four laps,” said Button.

“Then it was like, ‘Hang on, it’s still a racing car. It’s got four tyres that touch the road. It’s a mechanical race car, which is even better for learning.’ I’ve really enjoyed the challenge.

“A Cup car has a lot less downforce and is a lot heavier, but the Garage 56 car has given me an idea of what it will be like along with a direction, which is really useful.

“I know in my first race I’m not expected to be qualifying right at the front and I’m not expected to be fighting for a victory. I have a lot of respect for the drivers racing in the Cup Series. There’s so much talent there, whether it’s on ovals or road courses.

“Ten years ago, people used to say NASCAR guys can’t drive around a circuit, but I think they’ve proven that they can.

“Every time an ex-F1 driver gets in a stock car these days, they struggle initially. It takes a while for them to get up to speed, so I don’t expect to be right at the front, straight away.

“That’s why, for me, doing more than one race is really key so I can get the best out of myself and the best out of the car.”

Button will consequently be on the same grid as former F1 rival Kimi Räikkönen, who has also signed up for this month’s round at COTA.

Jenson Button believes that Lewis Hamilton is placing a delay on extending his Mercedes contract until he knows how competitive the team will be in 2023.

Mercedes endured a difficult 2022 campaign, with Hamilton having the first win-less season of his F1 career.

The seven-time World Champion’s contract expires at the end of the current campaign, but he has asserted that Mercedes’ current slump has motivated him to stay in the sport longer.

However, 2009 title-winner Button, who was team-mates with Hamilton for several years, believes that the Briton is holding out to see how competitive Mercedes is this year before committing.

“It has to be that [wishing to know how competitive Mercedes is this season] right?’, Button said, speaking to the Telegraph.  

“Why otherwise would you leave it this late? He knows how annoying we all are asking [about his future].  

“I mean, we’ve got to ask the question. But he’s going to hate answering it over and over and over and over again. It can only be because he’s wondering how competitive they will be.

“Is he going to sign if the car is uncompetitive because he wants it to be quick again before he retires? Or is he thinking ‘If it’s not better, I’m just going to retire’. Who knows?”

Hamilton was joined at Mercedes last year by George Russell, who spent several years in its academy before receiving a promotion to the F1 team.

Russell finished ahead of Hamilton in the championship standings, with another close battle between the pair predicted by some for the upcoming season.

Button has hailed the speed of Russell, who spent three seasons with Williams prior to signing with Mercedes.

“I think it’s a great fight,” Button said. “You know, they’re both so talented. One’s obviously got more world championships than anyone else.  

“But George, you know, he’s just great, he really is. In terms of his driving, in terms of his engineering skills. I think he’s a great talent.”

2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button has backed Lewis Hamilton to start the 2023 campaign “flat-out” and apply pressure to team-mate George Russell.

Hamilton endured a difficult year in 2022 – it marked his first year in the sport in which he failed to log a race victory.

Mercedes began the season far off the pace compared to rivals Red Bull and Ferrari, but made steady gains towards the end of the year.

Russell took the team’s only grand prix win at the event in Brazil, holding off Hamilton in the final stages to take the chequered flag.

Russell bested Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship too – however Button, who was partnered with Hamilton at McLaren for several years, believes his former team-mate will jump out of the blocks on form in Bahrain next month.

“I think Lewis was on it [in 2022],” Button told Sky Sports. “His performances were very consistent, mid-to-end of the season, very, very quick.

“I think he’ll start this year flat-out. He’s going to be on it from the word go, so I look forward to seeing that.

“It’s going to put a lot of pressure on George Russell, I think it’s a good pairing. But as I said, I think Lewis will be on it from the word go and I look forward to that fight.”

The Brackley-based squad is hopeful it will return to top form this year, having launched its 2023 W14 car last week.

Hamilton has asserted on multiple occasions that he is keen to remain with Mercedes beyond the end of his current contract, which expires this year.

However, Button suggested that should Hamilton continue to be delivered uncompetitive cars, he may opt to walk away from the sport in the near future.

“It’s something [not having a winning car] we all go through in our careers,” Button said. “It’s a reason why a lot of people retire, they are not in a winning car anymore. That’s why I left.

“You can deal with the pressure you put yourself under and the calendar, if you are in a winning car. When you are not, you are like ‘I’ve had enough, I want to get out’.

“Mercedes have given him a winning car for so many years. Last year obviously didn’t but the car did win a race last year, so you would say at the end of the year they were strong.”