Button and Hamilton: The McLaren rivalry
The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team has groomed past champions the likes of Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton. With another champion joining its roster in 2009 in the form of Jenson Button, the McLaren team has once again gathered one of the most exciting driver line-ups to ever hit the track.
But the tandem of Hamilton and Button spawns a deeper concern not only for the competition but internally as well. It is no secret that in-team rivalries are commonplace in Formula One racing, further exposed by the rift between Red Bull duo Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.
Webber and Vettel’s animosity towards each other reached a boiling point at the Turkish Grand Prix when they collided on lap 40 of the 58-lap race as both premiere racers jostled to take the lead. Vettel was forced to retire while Webber managed to finish in third place.
After the race, the two pointed fingers at each other, with the younger Vettel saying, “I was quicker. I dived down the inside. I had the corner.” Webber, meanwhile, contested that it was Vettel’s fault. “We'll probably have a difference of opinion until we go to our graves,” he said.
Ironically, that accident benefited Hamilton and Button as they took a 1-2 finish. Reports surfaced that the McLaren pair had on-track misunderstandings of their own. Button, however, quickly downplayed the issue and insisted that any rivalry between him and Hamilton is entirely healthy.
“I know 100% we get treated in the same way,” said Button. “I don't mean with regards to equipment, I mean the way the people are around us. My mechanics probably want me to win and his want him to win. It's that in-fighting which is exciting, but is not over the top. It’s the way it should be, and it's working very well for us.”
Former champion Damon Hill thinks otherwise. The British racer believes that the rivalry between the McLaren teammates is like a ticking time bomb, and it might explode at the upcoming British Grand Prix. “It’s just been on simmer so far and it will start to boil over,” said Hill. “Between the two British drivers in possibly the best car you will have a very close and fascinating battle.”
Although the two drivers have cruised through a harmonious season so far, Hill thinks that the tension may soon rear its ugly head as the fight for the title becomes more spirited.
“Jenson will not be letting Lewis get away with anything,” added Hill. “Your closest most significant competitor is your teammate and when you've got a teammate as good as Jenson then it's not a foregone conclusion.”
Button is the reigning Formula One champion, but Hamilton holds the distinction of being the youngest ever Formula One champion.
“I know Lewis has the mindset of a driver who sees the normal state of affairs as him being first, which is great, and that's what you'd expect but perhaps Jenson is a little bit more opportunistic and slightly more mature and realistic about things. This could be the start of the rest of the season [for the McLaren relationship].
“The preliminaries are over and from now on the clock is definitely ticking. There is only room for one guy,” Hill said. Whoever that guy is, even Hill could not predict. And it is that uncertainty, tension and competitiveness that makes the impending British Grand Prix all the more exhilarating.
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