Today’s version of Lewis Hamilton is “different” to the driver I raced against at McLaren, Jenson Button says.
The two Brits were teammates for three years between 2010-2012, with Button becoming the first driver to beat Hamilton over a full season in 2011.
Of course, in 2013, the latter would move on to join Mercedes and now, seven years later, is on the brink of matching Michael Schumacher as a seven-time Formula 1 champion, perhaps doing so this weekend in Istanbul.
Commenting on Hamilton’s ability, however, Button, who retired after a one-off return in Monaco in 2017, explained how he has evolved since their time together at McLaren.
“You look at his race pace compared to Valtteri [Bottas], Lewis is a different Lewis to what I knew,” the 2009 world champion told the Collecting Cars podcast.
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“Lewis, when I knew him, was lightning quick in qualifying, like Valtteri can be. In the race he was quick, sometimes he could get one over on you, but a lot of the time he would make mistakes or he wouldn’t understand how to get from A to B as quick as possible.
“He’d try to do every lap as fast as he could and he’d destroy tyres, over-use fuel, choose the wrong strategy.
“But now it’s a completely different Lewis, he doesn’t do that and also because he doesn’t have a Max Verstappen pushing him, he doesn’t have a Nico Rosberg pushing him either.”
Many have credited Hamilton’s defeat to Rosberg in 2016 as a defining moment which saw him alter his approach and become the dominant force he has been in recent seasons.
And the 35-year-old himself acknowledges how he has improved with experience.
“I definitely think these last couple of years I’ve been able to really step it up and make quite big strides, I would say, in positive areas and I think that’s come with age,” Hamilton said via Crash.net.
“I’m getting older now and whilst I’m not letting my physical side drop off, I’ve been able to really… I think, get stronger which feels good. I think this year has been a feeling that I’m getting stronger and stronger.
“Definitely really proud of this year’s performances but I couldn’t have done it without these great people working behind me who really provide us with the solid foundation of a reliable car, a fast car, to do what we’ve done, so it’s pretty awesome,” he added.
“We, as a team, have done such a remarkable job, so I fully acknowledge that it’s a collective and we wouldn’t be able to get these one-twos if it wasn’t for these great people behind us.
“I’ve got a phenomenal driver and teammate who comes in weekend in, weekend out and makes my life very very difficult.
“Being that you’ve seen the different steps that Valtteri’s taken, he’s getting stronger and stronger, he’s picking up his game, every year, it’s been a great challenge to race alongside him.”