Jenson Button’s father, John Button, along with developing his son for Formula 1, also plied his trade in kart supplying. Surprisingly, Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony Hamilton, was also his customer, as the latter was supporting his career during his junior days. And, as per Jenson’s autobiography, Anthony owed around $371, which Button senior reminded him jokingly once.
The Hamiltons came from a very humble background. The Mercedes star was at a heavy socio-economic disadvantage compared to his opponents, but his determination to be top was still high.
Anthony even took multiple jobs to fund his son’s karting career until McLaren took him under their wings. But as he still owed money to Button‘s father, it shows their initial hardships.
Jenson Button’s father reveals the amount Anthony Hamilton owed
Fortunately, both Lewis and Jenson made it to F1. They even became teammates from 2010 to 2012 at McLaren and had fierce competition. While the two drivers were in the mix, it was obvious their fathers, who raised them till here, were regular at visiting the paddock, and in one of the instances, John revealed that to him. Though, it all happened in fun.
“Lewis [Hamilton] with one of Dad’s engines. Dad and Lewis’ dad, Anthony, ended up reconnecting in the F1 paddock, where the joke was that Anthony still owed £300 ($371),” reveals Button in his book.
It’s still unknown whether the debt was paid or not. However, John was a professional Rallycross driver in his heydays, so he had a sound knowledge of karts and how to make them efficient.
The Brit rivalry- Lewis Hamilton Vs Jenson Button
While the two former teammates shared a long history, they had stiff competition when they collided in the same machinery. Though Jenson agrees that talent-wise, Lewis was a better driver. Thus, he had to work harder to beat him.
Jenson is one of the rare people to beat Lewis as a teammate. Only Nico Rosberg and George Russell share the same accolade. Thus, it was an achievement when the 2009 world champion recorded that feat in 2011.
But after this, Lewis’career only boomed, as in three years, he went on to have a winning speed at Mercedes. On the other hand, Jenson couldn’t inspire himself to win another title and retired after the 2017 season.
