"There were an awful lot of awkward and uncomfortable silences": When Jenson Button opened up about his weird relationship with Lewis Hamilton

Back in 2017, Jenson Button opened up about his relationship with Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1. The Briton raced with his compatriot in the most premium form of open-wheel racing for three years from 2010 to 2012, and shared a fierce rivalry on track.

Button was racing with Brawn GP till 2009, and won the F1 title that season. After Mercedes bought the team and rebranded it after their name, they had two German drivers at their helm, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.

As a result, Button decided to leave the team and move to McLaren in 2010. In doing so, he joined the Papayas to race alongside Hamilton. They raced together for three years, where they shared one of the fiercest rivalries to date until Lewis Hamilton left for Mercedes in 2013.

In 2010, Hamilton beat Button in the championship with 240 points to 214 points. The very next year, Button ended up on top with 270 points, compared to Hamilton's 227 points. The 2012 season saw the most brutal competition between them as they finished their season with 190 (Hamilton) and 188 (Button) points.

Speaking about their relationship as rivals and compatriots, here's what Button told the BBC in an interview in 2017:

"As people, we had a lot in common. There was our shared karting history, not to mention the fact that his dad was a customer of my dad. And, unlike a lot of drivers in Formula 1, neither of us came from an especially wealthy background; we'd achieved what we had through talent and a lot of grafting." "When we spent time together it was nice, and he'd always strike up a conversation with dad, and we'd hang out a bit. But at the same time there were an awful lot of awkward and uncomfortable silences, and often I'd think: 'What's going unsaid here?'" he further added.

While Lewis Hamilton moved to Mercedes in 2013, Jenson Button remained with the team to race until 2017. McLaren did not renew his contract for 2018, and as a result, Button left the Woking-based team at the end of 2017.

---

When Jenson Button compared Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button of McLaren - Source: Getty

Jenson Button is a driver who raced against both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, two of the most renowned and successful drivers in the sport. Speaking about what made them different, here's what he said:

"Lewis was unbelievably quick and could pull a lap out of the bag just like that; him and Ayrton Senna were the two quickest guys over one lap, maybe ever. But Fernando was the more rounded driver. I'd know, even if I out-qualified him, that he'd still be tough to beat in a race."

Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso raced together at McLaren for three seasons — 2015 to 2017. During these times, Alonso outperformed Button by 2-1.

Edited by Mitali