While fans continue the debate about who is the better driver between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, Jenson Button has given his opinion on the matter.
“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.”
Jenson Button gives his thoughts on Lewis Hamilton’s comments on Max Verstappen’s teammates 🔽 pic.twitter.com/m6ymBMjH10
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 8, 2023
While Hamilton is considered to be an exceptional driver, Jenson believes it will be more challenging to drive alongside Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. The Dutch driver has been with Red Bull since 2016. Since then he has gotten adjusted to the cars developed by Adrian Newey.
Adrian Newey is considered to be one of the best car designers in Formula 1. Max Verstappen seems to understand this and pays close attention to what he says. This has allowed him to understand the cars designed by Adrian Newey.
Is Max Verstappen a more aggressive driver than Lewis Hamilton?
Although Max Verstappen’s driving style seemed aggressive in the beginning, he has changed his style over the years. A lot of fans considered his driving style to be aggressive after he clashed with Lewis Hamilton multiple times in 2021.
Verstappen has never had a teammate who was able to challenge him. Until 2018, he was paired up with Daniel Ricciardo who was able to challenge him. However, since Ricciardo left the team, the Dutch driver’s driving style has improved a lot. Since Ricciardo, no driver has been able to match Max Verstappen’s pace in the same car. The reason for this is probably because of the understanding he has of Newey’s cars as stated above.
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton has had a number of battles with his teammates. When he first entered the sport in 2007, He was paired with Fernando Alonso who was the reigning Champion at the time. They went on to finish the season with the same amount of points.
Max on his relationship with Adrian Newey ❤️
“Adrian is intelligent, he cares about each person working for the team. Our relationship has evolved over time, when I arrived I was a child.”
“We also see each other on non-race weekends; we don’t just talk about the car, but about… pic.twitter.com/HWBPXqnhrX
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 1, 2023
In 2011, Hamilton was paired up with Jenson Button who had just come from winning a Championship with Brawn GP. Button was one of the few drivers to have outscored Lewis Hamilton over the course of a season.
Hamilton was also paired up with Nico Rosberg who went on to win the Championship in 2016 with Hamilton as his teammate. After Rosberg retired, Bottas also performed pretty well alongside Hamilton. Although he was not able to beat Hamilton, he came pretty close.
This is why Jenson Button would prefer to be Hamilton’s teammate rather than Verstappen’s. Why do you think Max Verstappen’s teammates are not able to challenge him? Post your answers in the comment section below.