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[racechick]

My feelngs are well know on Button at McLaren. I think he set out to make it 'his' team from the outset and has been working away at it over the last three years. It must have felt like all his Christmas' had come at once when Lewis annouced he was leaving; because however hard Button plays the politic game , he cant drive the car like Lewis.
Some of the comments in this interview are telling
http://www.f1-fansite.com/f1-news/butto ... n-team-me/
Less than three seasons in, Hamilton’s long McLaren relationship is set to terminate, with Button now insisting that he – and not Hamilton’s successor Sergio Perez – is the driver to bet on for 2013 spoils.
Speaking to the Brazilian sports daily Lance!, Button said: “There are a lot of smart people in formula one, which maybe is not so apparent from the outside.
“But it is a very competitive environment, and Fernando (Alonso) is one of those people.
“He’s been smart to build the (Ferrari) team around him, which is something we all strive for. I did it in my previous team (Honda/Brawn) and it’s happening here (McLaren) too,” said the 32-year-old.
Asked if he has taken another important step forwards with the impending departure of McLaren protege Hamilton, Button answered: “No comment.”

Button has said before that the way to win championships is to be outright number one....like Alonso who he appears to be emulating. Watch out Perez!!

He was welcomed very fairly into McLaren, with the team bending over backwards to show he was being treted equally--often to the detriment of Lewis (having to change his engineer etc).
But Button has always striven for more, and often appeared to get it. For that to work McLaren(Whitmarsh) must have wanted the same thing ie Button as the number #1, or been gullible or stupid. Whichever it is i think lewis made the right move getting out.

[LRW]

The question I would ask is...

"and..?"

He feels the only way he can win, is to be No.1. And so he probably did all in his ability to make it happen. None of us know what happens behind closed doors - but this is buttons career - and so what if he had to be cunning or sly or underhand to get there. You gotta do what you gotta do. Some may say LH is weak for breaking and jumping ship to a lesser team.

And as for Whitmarsh - so maybe he did want JB as No.1, but for whatever reason, wasn't allowed to show it openly - so just did all he could to assist JB with his subtle manipulation. Whats wrong with that? Its a competitive business, and they all probably just did what they did to get the best for themselves.

Im a LH fan (and a JB/McLaren Fan), and if LH was too stupid/honourable/naive to do something about it, then thats his own look out.

[What's Burning?]

For some reason to me none of this matters. McLaren chose to go their own route, and Lewis did as well. I can't believe that an organization like McLaren would have been coerced into making that choice. In the end, it's all business and I do believe that it's about money but more for teams than for the drivers. It's not the outcome I would have hoped for but hey...

Lewis chose to move onto what he feels is greener pastures, or at least a better opportunity/choice for him. To move into a fixer upper or a team to make it his domain and I'm very curious to see if that happens for Mercedes and Lewis.

Short term, I think both Lewis and McLaren will be worse off for it, long term we'll just have to wait and see.

[racechick]

Yes I agree with both the above posts. If its what Button has to do to get on, then he does what he has to do. I think what rankles a bit is the underhand way he's gone about it.
I dont think lewis has been driven out, as you say though LRW, we dont really know what goes on. I think he needed the move and needed the new challenge. I also think he accepts wins wont come next year.

I think next year and the years betond will be juicy.

This thread was really more about Button and his new role and how he's gone about achieving it, we already have a lot on Lewis...though inevitably the two will be discussed together.

[What's Burning?]

Well in that case all eyes will be on Button next year. But if history has its way, next year's McLaren will make last year's Red Bull look like an also ran and Button will have his 2nd WDC, or Perez his first.

[LRW]

Well in that case all eyes will be on Button next year. But if history has its way, next year's McLaren will make last year's Red Bull look like an also ran and Button will have his 2nd WDC, or Perez his first.

Even as a LH fan, I am pretty sure that LH isnt going to win a dot in the next year or three - and even though he is the replacement, I would love to see Perez win in his first year at McLaren.

As for Team Button. I think he has the right attitude - build a team around you, to work primarily for you - and I hope he has got it now. But I dont think he has done anything bad. To be honest we dont know WHAT he has done - he just seems to keep his business out of the public eye - which is another smart move, as far as Im concerned....

[scotty]

Meh. Same thing happened to Kovalainen really. If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen, and both Kova and Hamilton have gotten out. Assuming any of this conjecture is actually true of course, and i doubt the extent to which it is.

Gonna put money on Perez outscoring Button next season though.

[Hammer278]

Meh. Same thing happened to Kovalainen really. If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen, and both Kova and Hamilton have gotten out. Assuming any of this conjecture is actually true of course, and i doubt the extent to which it is.

Gonna put money on Perez outscoring Button next season though.

That's a wise investment.

[What's Burning?]

I said it before, but if Perez' career takes off, it will bring F1 a lot more front and center stateside. Oh, I'm hoping as it's going to be nearly impossible to get an American constructor on the grid otherwise.

[myownalias]

I think all this has been said and done in the Lewis/Jenson threads. In my view, striving to get what you want is fine; unfortunately in life if you play 100% fair, you'll get trampled on, to be a winner, a driver has to make the team his own to be successful, would Alonso have been so such successful if he had equal standing at Renault and Ferrari, or Schumacher at Ferrari?

[vaptin]

I think Jenson did defend himself and his interests at Mclaren in a way that Hekki didn't, and more subtly than Alonso, but I wouldn't blame everything on him. Lewis's relation to McLaren deteriorated due to other factors, Lewis got tired of McLaren's mistakes, their relatively uncompetitive cars, and took things to heart, Mcalren I think got tired of him operating like that in turn, maybe exacerbated by Jenson - who is well used to dealing with uncompetitive cars.

[Neo]

Button may want to build a team around himself but i don't see how it's possible with the arrival of Perez who is very similar in style to JB and if the last race in Japan is anything to go by he proved that he has a great desire to compete on the track with the wonderful overtake he performed on Lewis( Yes he binned it the 2nd time around but he is a very level headed young man and i think driving for mclaren will only see his skill sets improve)
Will JB be faster in qualifying than Perez? and will their race pace and tyre management be that much different from each other? From what i have seen the answer is no. The intra-team battle at mclaren next year is something i am looking forward to and it might even be a highlight of the 2013 season so while Alonso still has number1 status at Ferrari, Perez and Button are just gonna be taking points off each other for the whole season especially if mclaren stick to their belief in equal status for the drivers.

[LewEngBridewell]

Any guesses as to how this thread is likely to end up?

But yeah. I expect Button and Perez to be pretty close next year. The latter is certainly no slouch... look at what he's achieved in the Sauber. IMO, he's put Kobayashi in the shade this year.

[Jabberwocky]

F1 is just a big power struggle. I am a Button fan but his above comments has made him sound like a smiling knife.

However if you had 2 people and one was a through and through team player then the team is more likely to respond to his needs, however if you have someone who is a bit abrasive and likely to throw teddies out of prams when it does not go all his way, then people will back him for a while but eventually grow tired of it.

Lewis should of learnt that from Alonso when they where team mates, turn up to a new team get upset because it is not all about you. The team will soon move you on.

Look at it in real life, RC if two of your students needed help and you could only help one, would you help the one who is polite and keeps his nose clean or the one who has been hooning in his car?

[What's Burning?]

okay... I give up, hooning?