Jenson Button looking forward to leading McLaren in 2013 – Formula 1 news
McLaren’s Jenson Button is looking forward to leading the team in the 2013 F1 season as Lewis Hamilton leaves to join the Mercedes team and Sauber’s Sergio Perez replaces him.
“I really enjoy being the lead driver and being the guy who can really help the team improve the car and sort of mould the car around me,” Button told. “So I'm really looking forward to 2013 because of that; I've got a couple of months to really mould the
team and the car around me at the factory. The good thing about McLaren is that they really listen to what a driver has to say - we're an important part of the puzzle - it's not just driving the car it's developing the car and that really means a lot to me.”
The driver added that he is definitely excited about the direction in which the team’s development is going. About Perez, he said that it will take him some time to learn about the team and the car before he starts performing in the races. Button told that
as Perez has never driven a McLaren car before; it is hard to say what can be expected from him.
Button won three Grands Prix this season which includes the first one in Australia, the Belgian GP and the exciting season ending Brazilian GP.
Hamilton announced about himself leaving to join Mercedes in September. The driver has been with McLaren for all his F1 career winning the championship in 2008. Hamilton will be replacing Michael Schumacher who retired at the end of this season.
McLaren team principal, Martin Whitmarsh, signed on Perez as he was impressed by the podium finishes secured by him for Sauber F1 earlier in the season. However, Perez has failed to perform ever since the confirmation which has raised questions if he was
the right choice for replacing someone as good as Hamilton. Whitmarsh admitted that it is a risk but he believes that the young driver has the potential to learn.
Meanwhile, Perez is very determined about his career with McLaren as he is aiming to win races and the title in his very first year with the team.
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