Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button shared a good relationship as teammates during their time together at McLaren. However, when it came to the Hamilton vs Max Verstappen debate, Button went ahead with the latter. Button chose Verstappen because of a simple yet settling reason- his superior natural driving talent.
Admittedly, this was a win for Verstappen, who was Hamilton’s arch-rival in the battle for the 2021 F1 world championship. Apart from that, they’ve fought for podium places on several occasions in the past, and have always been fierce competitors on track.
Hamilton and Button raced together from the 2010 to the 2012 F1 season before the former left for Mercedes. In these three years, the two British drivers went on to know each other very closely. Despite this, the 2009 F1 champion picking up the Dutchman over his teammate sheds some serious light on the Red Bull star’s talent.
Button chose Verstappen over Hamilton
According to a recently surfaced video on Instagram, the former Brawn GP champion was asked about the most naturally talented driver he has ever seen on a track.
Button, who already compared the two-time world champion with Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, seemed to be ready with his answer, promptly stated, “Max.” This showed that he had no doubt over the 25-year-old’s racing talent, who is the youngest ever driver and GP winner in the sport.
Admittedly, Verstappen made his F1 debut at the age of 17, and he had his first victory in the sport just a year later. To make things more monumental and iconic, his first win came in his first race for Red Bull, at the 2016 Spanish GP.
Furthermore, someone like Verstappen- who comes from a racing background family -is bound to have strong racing genes. This is because his father Jos Verstappen, is a former F1 driver, and his mother Sophie Kumpen, is a former karting champion.
Max Verstappen is the fastest F1 driver, said Button
Hamilton has always been appreciative and respectful of the Dutch pilot. Apart from calling him an exceptional talent, the Mercedes star also labeled Verstappen as the fastest driver in the sport.
Speaking to talkSPORT radio, Button stated, as per a report published by ESPN in 2019,
“I think he is the fastest driver that has ever driven an F1 car. I really do. I think he is unbelievably fast.”
The 25-year-old is now standing on the verge of securing his third straight F1 title after picking up back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022. Max Verstappen also leads the 2023 F1 championship with three wins on board in five races, 14 points ahead of teammate Sergio Perez.
