Jenson Button, like most F1 drivers, did not like the idea of team orders being imposed on him. Throughout the majority of his F1 career, he was free to fight and chase down whomever he wanted but in 2010, McLaren asked him to hold his position for the first (and only) time — while he was battling Lewis Hamilton.
Unfortunately for Button, Hamilton, and the Woking-based squad, there was some serious miscommunication. Hamilton, who was supposed to be the beneficiary, got irked which is why he got into a spat with teammate Button after the race. Per the 2009 World Champion, it was all McLaren’s fault, and he recently spoke about it in the Sky Sports podcast.
“So, it was Lewis and myself fighting at the front,” said Button. “Lewis was told that I was not going to fight him because he had to save fuel. I wasn’t told that information, so I overtook him.
“He overtook me again and then the team came on the radio again and told me, ‘Jenson hold position‘”, he added.
#OTD in 2010, Lewis Hamilton won the Turkish GP, leading home teammate Jenson Button after the pair passed the Red Bull’s after they collided
It was Lewis’ first win of the season and put him back into the championship hunt, and put McLaren in the lead of the constructors pic.twitter.com/X8CkiOji3v
— Harry (@teamLHarry) May 30, 2021
Since the information was not relayed properly to both drivers, Button revealed that he had a “bit of a ding-dong” with Hamilton after the race. In other words, they fought. Thankfully, it didn’t escalate into anything serious and they reconciled soon after.
The topic of Button being forced to follow a botched team order came up while the Briton was talking about the current situation at his former team. Lando Norris is chasing Max Verstappen for the World Championship and for the longest time, McLaren refused to prioritize the Bristol-born driver.
McLaren changed their approach after some time, but Button felt that they left it too late.
McLaren may have waited too long to impose team orders
Earlier this season, there were moments when Norris was ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri, but McLaren’s refusal to ask the Aussie to hold back cost Norris positions and, consequently, points. Realizing their mistake, McLaren announced that Norris would be prioritized starting from the Azerbaijan GP onwards in September.
When asked if McLaren had waited too long, Button replied “Possibly”. He believes that if McLaren wants Norris to beat Verstappen, they need to give orders.
He gave an example from his time at the Papaya outfit when he and Hamilton won three races apiece in 2011, but both failed to win the title. Button stated that had one of them won all six races that year, either he or Hamilton would have finished P1 in the standings. Button believes that McLaren has faced a similar dilemma this season as well.
The 44-year-old acknowledged that it may seem unfair to Piastri, who has done a remarkable job so far this season. But for one of their drivers to emerge victorious, McLaren will have to make the tough decision.
Norris is currently 52 points behind Verstappen, and there are just six Grand Prix weekends remaining on the calendar. This is likely why Button feels McLaren changed their minds about team orders too late.
