Jenson Button’s achievement of beating Lewis Hamilton “fair and square” at McLaren in 2011 is underrated, Daniel Ricciardo believes.
After winning the Formula 1 championship in 2009 at Brawn GP, many were surprised when Button made the move to what was essentially Hamilton’s team at Woking for 2010.
And while his first year went as most expected, finishing 26 points behind is fellow Briton in the championship, 2011 was very different as eight podiums in the final nine races saw Button become the first man to beat Hamilton over a full season.
“How can a World Champion be underrated? Well, hear me out,” Ricciardo wrote as he listed the five most underrated drivers he has raced with.
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“Jenson had some big years in F1, but I think 2011 when he was teammates with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren and beat him fair and square – that’s no easy feat as we all know – was what gets him onto my list.
“He beat him on ‘real’ circuits like Suzuka and his race pace that year…he was at his best in 2011, I reckon.”
Ricciardo also noted how Button did things his own way, with his style almost the complete opposite to that of Hamilton.
“Jenson did it different from most of the others, too. He had a good crew around him, was low-key, low-maintenance and just a silky, smooth operator,” the Australian explained.
“He’s still the best I’ve seen in those not-quite-wet, not-quite-dry conditions, that sketchy weather, and that win in Canada 2011 – two races before I started my career, actually – was one of the best F1 races ever.”
Of course, since Button, only Nico Rosberg has managed to repeat his feat, beating Hamilton to the championship in 2016.
