Button wants to see his career out at McLaren

F1 Fanatic round-up

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In the round-up: Jenson Button says he still has “much to achieve” at McLaren.

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Jenson Button happy to remain attached to McLaren until he retires (The Guardian)

“Some people decide to leave this team because they feel there’s another challenge, or something’s missing from their position. For me, there is still so much to achieve.”

Hamilton hails Mercedes’ driver focus (Autosport)

“I think the focus on the driver, the driver’s performance, and the driver being ready for the job at hand is one thing that I’m noticing is quite a little bit better here.”

Crash and learn (The Age)

Romain Grosjean “Mark [Webber] was unkind to me that one time. I went to him after the race to apologise and, of course, he wasn’t very happy, but I told him it was a mistake and I don’t want to do it again. That was the main thing, so I think we’re OK now.”

Toro Rosso driver Daniel Ricciardo chasing Formula One dream (The Telegraph – Australia)

“I think Mark (Webber) is my best mate when it comes to drivers. I don’t really dislike any of the drivers, but I don’t get along with all of them either. There are a couple that I may have only said one word to in the last 12 months. I think that is just how it is. We don’t go out of our way to hang out. Maybe some do but, to be honest, I am not that interested.”

Hill: DRS is ‘interesting’ addition to F1 (Crash)

“I think it’s an interesting device because there’s a bit of a thrill when someone gets within that DRS zone and suddenly shoots past the car in front of them.”

New Jersey back on course for 2014 (ESPN)

New Jersey Grand Prix promoter Leo Hindery Jnr: “We are back under construction. We have the consents in place that we didn’t have last fall, and we will quite comfortably put the race on, now probably in the mid-year of 2014 with [Bernie Ecclestone’s] support.”

Rake – Does it mean additional downforce? (SomersF1)

“Red Bull’s movement of… FOM camera’s to the hammerhead position on the nose further suggests the team have gone to in order to tilt the front wing backward under aerodynamic load with the camera’s being placed behind the Y250 section it could have had an undesired effect on the aero aft of it.”

The Cold War in Barcelona (Jamey Price Photo)

“The cold war mentality is well and truly alive in the Formula One pitlane. Mechanics taking secret photos of rival car’s suspension and aero work. Teams using any and all means to make it ‘hard’ for photographers to capture what parts the car has on it by closing us out of garages with canvas screens, and tactics never seen before, to keep us all from capturing any extended views of the car. It’s madness really. Almost comical. Certainly annoying. But at the same time, it really is interesting.”

Tweets

Comment of the day

@John-H isn’t convinced teams spend their precious testing time “sandbagging” for the sake of it:

If these teams are sandbagging, what’s the point of testing at all? Do we really think that McLaren and Red Bull didn’t once do a qualifying run to test out performance?? wouldn’t that be pretty silly just for the sake of playing down expectations?

I actually think the race pace of the McLaren looks pretty good, but if they haven’t got a fast one-lap car, when combined with their drivers they could be starting many Grands Prix from the middle of the pack.
@John-H

From the forum

Happy birthday!

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On this day in F1

Mika Hakkinen made his Grand Prix debut on this day in 1991, driving for Lotus in the United States Grand Prix.

He was running 11th when an engine fire forced him to retire on lap 60. Future team mate Ayrton Senna won ahead of Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet.

Hakkinen features in this introduction to the race:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9ronXD9p4k

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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101 comments on “Button wants to see his career out at McLaren”

  1. That shouldn’t take long. He should be out at the end of this year, judging by the way he has been trying to make excuses if the MacLaren turns out not as competitive as they hoped.

  2. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    10th March 2013, 1:28

    Button: “Some people decide to leave this team because they feel there’s another challenge, or something’s missing from their position.”

    Seems pretty directly aimed at Lewis ahah

    1. Exactly what I thought!

      1. Wonder if Lewis will respond along the line of “Some drivers just aren’t fast enough and simply fluked a world championship along the way by having a dominant car delivered into his hands. Some drivers cant even get into Q3 frequently with a leading car underneath him and will roll out usual excuses like CAR HAS NO GRIP AGAIN!!! while his team-mate puts the same car on pole”

        1. Yeah, I guess ‘The car has no grip’ or ‘I can’t find the balance’ aren’t really valid excuses for poor form.

          As opposed to having ‘girlfriend problems’ – which is a totally valid and acceptable from someone earning £15 million + per year!

          lol

          1. Daniel (@collettdumbletonhall)
            10th March 2013, 23:54

            +1
            Alonso got a divorce the other year and he just got on with the racing.

          2. @Daniel and picked up a Russian super model instead. I approve! :)

    2. I think the focus on the driver, the driver’s performance, and the driver being ready for the job at hand is one thing that I’m noticing is quite a little bit better here.

      Seems pretty directly aimed at McLaren, eh?
      So why not just give it a rest. What else do you expect them to do than to praise and talk up their own team?

    3. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
      10th March 2013, 3:40

      It’s comments like that one that make me dislike Button.

      1. I think you’re just assuming that it is intended as an insult, and I don’t think it is. He’s no doubt been asked what he thinks of Hamilton leaving the team, and has responded honestly.

        When Button left Brawn GP at the end of 2009, he said that one of the main reasons why he chose to move on was because he needed to be in a new envionrment. He had been with the team since 2003, and while they had undergone a few changes in ownership in that six-year period, the people involved had largely remained the same. Button needed to move on because he felt he had done everything that he could there.

        When Hamilton’s departure from McLaren was announced, he gave the need for a new environment to reinvigorate himself as one of the major reasons why he left. He had been involved with McLaren for fourteen years, or more than half of his life. So it seems very odd – out of character, even – for Button to be criticising Hamilton for making a move away from McLaren using the same reasons that Button himself used when he left Brawn to join McLaren.

        So I don’t think there’s any malice in Button’s comments. When he says that people move away from the team because they think there is another challenge waiting for them, or because they need something new, it’s not a criticism. Rather, it’s just a case of him acknowledging that people value different things when making career choices, and that if they no longer feel McLaren is the right place for them, then they’re going to move on.

        1. Agreed. It seems a bit aimed at Lowe too, perhaps because he used the word ‘position’.

          I don’t really see why this comment is making people judge him – surely that’s a legitimate reason why most people switch jobs?!

        2. I don’t think we are right to criticise Hamilton for leaving: Schumacher did the same thing with Ferrari and look how that turned out for him. But on topic more so, I’m with PM in that I don’t think there was any malicious intent with that comment.

    4. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
      10th March 2013, 3:46

      I thought the same too – that’s surely aimed at Hamilton. I thought Button and Hamilton are good friends.

      1. Where did you get that idea? Commercials?

        1. I never saw them as great friends, or even friends at all. I think Hamilton and Alsonso of 2007 were better friends than Button Hamilton the last three years. What you saw was McLaren PR at play–Hamilton wanted to humiliate Button on the track at every opportunity and Button, knowing he is not as fast would look for any strategic advantage to beat Hamilton and show him to be immature. That was all on display in Canada 2011.

          1. couldn’t agree more. Canada 2011 displayed exactly that.

        2. Tweet from Lewis yesterday:-

          @LewisHamilton: Rise & shine 6am, just had breakfast with JB & now going for a long run. Hope you have a nice day!

          Butter knives at dawn over the toast then !! with Martin as the biased referee of course . . .
          If some of the ideas Lewis’s fans come up with were not so sad, they would be hilarious . . .

          1. @somerfield1561 Maybe he had breakfast with Jules Bianchi?

    5. No need to make a fuss about it though; it might be aimed at Lewis but it’s pretty much what Lewis has already said about the issue already. It’s no secret that Lewis left because he wanted a challenge at Mercedes and it’s obvious he felt something was missing at McLaren. If Button wanted to be nasty, he’d have said that some drivers leave for money.

      Button and Hamilton generally seemed to get along well considering that they’re very different people and were both racing at the top-level for so long. We know how disastrous team-relations can get when you have two very capable drivers competing for the championship, so it’s remarkable that they were so courteous towards one another. Much better than Ferrari’s tactic of fielding a sub-par driver in their number two slot so as to keep their lead driver’s ego in check.

      1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
        10th March 2013, 5:08

        Yeah, from what I’ve seen and read, Lewis and Jenson are supposedly quite good friends. They dont see eachother that often (i.e. “Let’s hang out”), but when they’re in the garage together they weren’t exactly trying to kill each other.

        It’s no secret that Lewis left because he wanted a challenge at Mercedes and it’s obvious he felt something was missing at McLaren. If Button wanted to be nasty, he’d have said that some drivers leave for money.

        Although, i’d say that money was a somewhat significant factor in him leaving.

      2. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
        10th March 2013, 5:32

        Much better than Ferrari’s tactic of fielding a sub-par driver in their number two slot so as to keep their lead driver’s ego in check.

        Kudos to @kibblesworth there. I am a die-hard Ferrari fan, but yes, I have never liked their tactic of having Felipe Massa drivind their 2nd car just to prevent team troubles. That has cost them Constructor’s, in my opinion.

      3. @kibblesworth

        “Much better than Ferrari’s tactic of fielding a sub-par driver in their number two slot so as to keep their lead driver’s ego in check.”

        My thoughts exactly. I think Mclaren have done a great job at managing 2 top drivers certainly after the disaster that was Alonso & Hamilton. I think it is totally justified that Hamilton left the team and he could be laughing all the way to the WDC in a year or so with the push that Mercedes are making. However i think it would be a mistake for them to push out Ross but if this did happen I would love to see him at McLaren back with Button again

      4. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
        10th March 2013, 14:52

        Did Hamilton talk about Button’s woes last year or even complain about his? He only twitted the results of one qualifier because the entire world needed to understand why he was that slow – if anything, that’s the job of McLaren’s PR department but they didn’t even do that well…

        Hasn’t Button done enough damage to both McLaren and Hamilton? Does he need to cause more destruction in his affable, smiley, myself-above-the-universe manner?

        1. I don’t think Button has ever said or done anything as offensive as what you have written here. Please, give us some evidence. Seems their is an ocean of Hamilton fans with the most fantastical of imaginations over Buttons every action. Button cut his toe nails with some clippers. Clippers begins with a C and there isn’t a C in the whole of Hamilton’s name which just goes to show the lengths to which Button is determined to ruin Lewis’s career.

          I suspect only the Hamilton fans won’t get the irony ;)

          1. @Carl Craven – that is the funniest thing i have heard today. Thank you

          2. Brilliant.

        2. Hasn’t Button done enough damage to both McLaren and Hamilton? Does he need to cause more destruction in his affable, smiley, myself-above-the-universe manner?

          Dude. Are you even serious?

          Exactly what damage has Button done to Hamilton? I mean, other that a crap, midfield driver out scoring the ‘worlds best driver’ over their course of being team mates and achieving a highest WDC position twice as good as the highest position scored by ‘the worlds best driver’ since becoming team mates.

          And exactly what damage has Button done to McLaren?

        3. @freelittlebirds

          Hasn’t Button done enough damage to both McLaren and Hamilton?

          I have absolutely no idea what this is in reference to.

          1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
            11th March 2013, 12:38

            If you put together Button’s interviews and other people’s interviews like Horner’s “shrewd operator” comment, it’s hard not to view Button as “team obliterator”. Here’s a team that nearly had won 2 WDCs back-to-back and a 3rd one the year Button joined. Button joins and the team is rendered into oblivion making Hamilton question why he should race for a team that can not give him a WDC while Button is there. They can’t give Hamilton #1 team status when the WDC is in play but now Button has wormed his way into #1 status. Sorry, if I sound disgusted but it reminds me of corporate backstabbing a little too much.

          2. @freelittlebirds, McLaren has shown they are perfectly capable of having the fastest car and even the best lineup and still are able to fail to win the championship without Button (2007 for example).

            Sure Horner says anything he hopes might slightly unsettle competitors. That is why they kept commenting on Alonso a lot last year too.

            Hamilton might have left partly because he was not able to beat Button as comprehensively as he had expected (and most others with him), but he likely would have left the team anyway because after being with a team for over a decade, and having Ron feel paternalistic to him, its only natural that he felt the need to prove himself elsewhere, where he is not seen as Lewis the quick kid but can establish himself as a complete driver.

            As for no.1 status at McLaren, the team did not give this to Button in any way, apart from the fact that he is the more experienced driver who is with the team longer, so its expected of him to lead on. But then we expected Alonso to lead on in 2007 before Hamilton pressed his stamp on that year too. Don’t be surprised if the team focus as much on Perez if/when he does start winning and beating Button.

    6. I would say its a reaction to both Hamilton and Lowe leaving recently (and Pat Fry 2 years back maybe).

    7. Button is a ‘Shrewd Operator’…

    8. I dunno I think he was quite tame about it. I’m a hug McLaren and Lewis fan, Button just shared his opinion. He could have used names but chose not to.

      Could be a snide dig or could just be a matter of respect.

      1. You cant really tell how he said it by reading parts of the interview…he might have been having a dig and he may well not have. Myself I’d imagine it was somewhere in between but that’s just my thought.

        I think Button and Mclaren will struggle this year to be honest, Button is too sensitive to be able to just drag the car when its not working and Mclaren love over complicating things.

        I think from a team point of view Mclaren found Jenson much easier to deal with and always had the view that Lewis had to sort of be told what to do (I think that might have been the major reason he left, he wants to be able to make decisions) and therefore the team have taken to him. But give Jenson a car that isnt quite to his liking and watch him struggle…I just dont think he has another tittle in him! He’ll win the odd race and look great on occasion, others he’ll be miles off.

  3. Didn’t a certain British driver say this already?

    1. Jenson Button must still be buoyed by the fact that he somehow won Autosport’s British Driver of the Year award over Lewis Hamilton and managed to see him off to claim the lead driver spot at McLaren. High time for a naughty comment to rub it in.

      And oh, it says alot about the biasness the UK press has against Lewis Hamilton that a man outqualified by Lewis 16-2 and who has taken a solitary pole at McLaren in 3 years compared to Lewis’s 7 last year alone and who has only 2 DNFs compared to Lewis’s 6 DNFs (mostly from leading positions) while copying Lewis’s settings half the time because he couldn’t find grip with his own settings and still finished behind Lewis in the standings is awarded British Driver of the Year. Autosport might as well declare Jenson SUPREME BRITISH DRIVER of ALL TIME such is their fondness for him that they choose to ignore on-track performances in nominee evaluation.

      1. @ginola14

        he somehow won Autosport’s British Driver of the Year award

        I thought the winner of that award was voted for by the public? In which case it says exactly nothing about the British press.

        1. I heard that it is voted by members of autosport .

      2. Ahh, stats! Though was the British Driver of the Year award won by Jenson in 2011? In which case it’s a bit more understandable. Forgive me if I am wrong, but then as Keith said it’s the public’s vote anyway.

        while copying Lewis’s settings half the time

        It seems you are a McLaren engineer! There were a few races last year where Button admitted to following Lewis’ setup direction and, conversely, a few situations where the opposite was reported. The rest of the time I’m sure that such comments were just speculation.

  4. “I think it’s an interesting device because there’s a bit of a thrill when someone gets within that DRS zone and suddenly shoots past the car in front of them.”

    Err… what?

    1. @kaiie, I think Hill used a strange way of putting it, and he’s not winning over any detractors this way. But I feel there is certainly some truth in “a bit of a thrill when someone gets within the DRS zone”. These days, when one driver closes on another, there is a distinct possibility that the cars will go side by side to battle for position. Pre-DRS, if one driver closed at a rate of a few tenths per lap, then on most track no-one would get too excited, or worried that there might be a position change. In the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, Button didn’t pass Vettel in the DRS zone, but because of its presence Vettel felt the pressure of keeping him well behind. Without the DRS zone, Vettel might never have been flustered enough to make a mistake.

    2. I think its ok, there is a bit of a thrill. But only a little bit of it, and certainly not the wow feeling fans are looking for when they say they want to see overtaking @kaiie.

      I would say we need to interpret the “interesting” here in the way I interpret it when my wife says something is “interesting” – i.e. its horrible, but I won’t tell you to keep the peace.

      If you look at the next 2 sentences, it shows Hill is not all that thrilled about it really:

      “We haven’t seen enough of people re-taking their place, so I would say that what it has done is meant that, when a car is in striking distance, it doesn’t get held up and its enabling cars to come through the field rather than increasing the dicing.
      “The issue with these cars, they way they’re designed, is always going to be that they’re so reliant on the grip from their wings, so that precludes them from going wheel-to-wheel through the corners, which is really what people want to see.”

      1. I would say we need to interpret the “interesting” here in the way I interpret it when my wife says something is “interesting” – i.e. its horrible, but I won’t tell you to keep the peace.

        lol

        1. As they say in China, “May you live in interesting times” to someone they dislike.

  5. vuelve kowalsky
    10th March 2013, 9:45

    i was at phoenix in 1991. First race for me in a street circuit. i arrived on saturday from san diego, and i remember watching the cars from outside the circuit on the hairpin, and being intrigued by the new green cars with 7up advertisement on them. Just a few months later at spa, they will give schumacher his first shot at greatness. But those days everything was about senna. he was twice world champion, and 1991 was going to be his 3rd. Like usual he didn’t touch a f1 during pre-season, and berger was doing all the driving, thinking that being so well prepared was going to be able to beat ayrton. He had a rude awakening when senna was 1.5 sec faster on his first outing!!! Right there he realized that senna was on a different level, he knew he was never going to be a match for him on equal equipment.

  6. I have a feeling that nowadays McLaren are more concerned about promoting their brand and the sponsors than actually winning something. Almost every year they come up with a competitive package but fail to capitalize on that and the most serious thing is that they seem to take in light-heartedly. I mean when Ferrari don’t win anything they take it as a tragedy, in McLaren’s case it’s like “Oh well, we tried”. I think that’s the one of the reasons (if not the main) why Hamilton left the team – they had different interests – the former strived to win a WDC, the latter to film as many Vodafone spots as possible.
    I think the reason why Button feels so comfortable at McLaren is that they share the same psychology – It doesn’t matter if we win or not as long as as we convince the world that we are trying.

    1. Ron Dennis once said (I think in the interview which is in the 2006 season review) that McLaren’s mission as an organisation is to win Grands Prix, not championships. The logic seems to be that if you win enough races, you will win championships as a consequence. It doesn’t always work out like that however, in 2005 McLaren won 10 Grand Prix and neither world championship and last year they produced the fastest car and still didn’t manage to win either world championship.

      While I do admire Ron’s view that they want to win every race possible because it is quite a pure vision and is devoid of the usual “Ronspeak”, I think the two examples above demonstrate that, while McLaren are very good at winning races, they have forgotten how to win championships.

      1. The logic seems to be that if you win enough races you will win championships as a consequence

        I think the message is different: If you win enough races you keep yourself in the spotlight and the sponsors’ sphere of interest.

    2. I got to agree with you . I was a massive Mclaren fan since mika hakkinen till recently lewis left the team . They have a prestigious history of messing up at exactly the precise time ( i.e ” precisely ” as pronounced by thomson and thompson :P ) . They lack the intensity they had previously . Even this year , they may develop their car very quickly to be fastest only to end up second to ferrari or red bull .

      Now, I support lewis but am unsure as to what to do as I don’t know Merc all that well .

    3. I think that’s the one of the reasons (if not the main) why Hamilton left the team – they had different interests – the former strived to win a WDC, the latter to film as many Vodafone spots as possible.

      Yes, cause Hamilton all business and is ONLY about winning the WDC.

      Not trying to ‘boost his brand’ world wide and do anything stupid or distracting like, say, making music with his totally non distracting girlfriend (you know, the one all the Hamilton fans wanted to string up in 2011 for ‘ruining his season’.

      No Sir, Lewis is purely focused on driving and driving alone!

      1. @nick101 As 2011 is considered the lowest point of Ham’s career, he had no right to make a squeel that season (although he had some great performances too). Maybe because he knew they don’t have much chance to win anything so he got distracted. But in 2012 he was flawless and McLaren was the one failing. Last year they had all the ingredients to take the title: the car and a 100% focused Lewis, they could have let him take a breath from time to time. In some of his interviews Ham was saying that he didn’t have time to physically prepare for the races because of sponsor commitments. It was in 2012 not 2011 when Ham decided to jump ship, more likely because he couldn’t take the frustration of seeing another title slip away.

  7. “Mark was unkind to me that one time”

    I have so much pity for you Grosjean, perhaps you should just stomach it and prove him wrong on track instead of getting all teary-eyed over it.

    1. haha shame they cut out the ‘so i told my mum’ part at the end ;)

    2. “I went to him after the race to apologise and, of course, he wasn’t very happy, but I told him it was a mistake and I don’t want to do it again. That was the main thing, so I think we’re OK now.” Grosjean goes on to say above. He didnt run off to his mom nor did he cry or whine over it; and he did state he had learnt his lesson and won’t repeat his error again. Although it is a bit cheeky for Romain to suggest Mark had been “unkind” when Mark was the one booted uncermeniously out of the race by Romain after he decided he wanted to show them Spa 12 wasnt a one-off.

      1. he did state he had learnt his lesson and won’t repeat his error again

        Yes, finally after 9 crashes and a one-race ban he learned something. Hopefully he won’t have to eat his words this Sunday.

      2. @ginola14

        Although it is a bit cheeky for Romain to suggest Mark had been “unkind” when Mark was the one booted uncermeniously out of the race by Romain after he decided he wanted to show them Spa 12 wasnt a one-off.

        Exactly what I meant, bar the fact you have chosen “cheeky” and I have chosen “emotional”! ;)

  8. jimscreechy (@)
    10th March 2013, 10:32

    Well, its fairly obvious that he really has nowhere to go. He is arguably at the top of his career now, yes he won a WDC with Brawn, but now at Mclaren, a top team as the lead driver and pitching to the end of his career, this is as good as it gets. No one else would take him as a No.1 driver, as based on his performance alone he isn’t that good. (and I mean based on his performance not his points standing, acclamations or accreditations). Without the help of a rather biased team principal even his current achievments would be somewhat lesser. I rate him as a solid no. 2 driver to have in a team, and talk of Ferrari pitching to have him a few seasons ago to support alonso may support this opinion, but now with so many talented younger drivers around any offers of this nature are largely unlikely. Mclaren… then out to pasture.

      1. @Keith Collantine –

        Being a biased team principal is NOt the same as having a secret plot to undermine one of your drivers. I don’t know how or why it became taboo to explore the notion that Whitmarsh is indeed biased towareds Jenson without being shot down as a crazy consiparcy theorist. Everytime the idea is mooted, the same excuse you give above is trotted out.
        IS RBR, Horner and Marko et al biased towards Vettel? Hell yes! Do they all have a secret plot to undermine Webber at every opportunity? Only a fool would claim that.

        Again, the notion that Ron was biased toward Lewis to the detriment of Alonso is not seen as preposterous, so why is the Whitmarsh/ Jenson issue given short shrift?
        Bias is usually subconcious, so it seeps out in subliminal ways. If you look for it, it will be obvious. Either way, as it is a real factor of human behaviour, it cannot be covered up for long. It is like saying there is no favourable bias toward Jenson in the British media. If it helps, i guess we can all stick our heads in the sand and pretend none exists.

        1. @kbdavies I didn’t say it was “taboo”, I said it was nonsense, which it is for the reasons I outlined.

          1. @KeithCollantine

            Yes, you didn’t say it was taboo, and whilst you are of the opinion that it is complete nonsense, i have to say i disagree wholeheartedly with you.

          2. @kbdavies Well I’m not the one conjuring a completely fantasy out of nothing and then accusing others of ‘burying their heads in sand’.

            All this stuff, this ‘McLaren are biased in favour of Button’ and ‘the British media are biased in favour of Button’ stuff, has no basis whatsoever in reality.

            I prefer to have discussions based on facts. But the only fact here is that you can’t present a single one that supports your view because there clearly aren’t any. It’s just whingeing and axe-grinding with nothing to back it up. And it is mind-rottingly boring to read. So let’s leave it at that.

          3. @keithcollantine

            C’mon Keith, we ALL know that every time Hamilton put his car into the wall or up the chuff of another driver it’s OBVIOUSLY because Whitmarsh is biased towards Button.

            This bias is also BLATANTLY obvious every time Button makes a brilliant move, overtake, tactical decision or victory. If not for Whitmarsh’s RIDICULOUS bias towards Button, he would never achieve ANYTHING, much less be even remotely competitive against God’s gift to F1, Lewis Hamilton.

            Damn you Whitmarsh, you have RUINED McLaren and worst still, you didn’t cuddle Lewis enough and tell him he is the best!!

          4. jimscreechy (@)
            11th March 2013, 7:06

            Simply dismissing the claim as outlandish or an conjured fantasy is something of a mainstay of opposition to this opinion, but continually shouting the notion is ridiculous doesn’t make it so any more than saying “fact” at the begining of sentence makes it a fact.

            If a large portion of a group, community or faternity have a belief that some condition exists then one of two things are true, the notion is true, or the perception of the notion is true. Ether way something must be occuring for the notion to persist and denying it doesn’t refute this.

          5. @jimscreechy Yes it does. I don’t know how large your group of people is but sheer numbers alone are not enough to persuade me there is any truth in something there is no evidence of.

            All your point of view demonstrates is an eagerness on the part of some people to diminish Button and think the worst of Whitmarsh.

          6. jimscreechy (@)
            11th March 2013, 11:36

            No, it doesn’t. clearly you are so wrapped up in your own opinion you haven’t even bothered to read my post properly.

            And yet again! here we go with you on the defensive and interperting everything as a personal attack on someone you support. No one said anything about diminishing Button or thinking the worst of whitmarsh. It is simply you looking for justification for dismissing an opinion you either choose to ignore, or at the very least, don’t share.

            You continually choose to dismiss this very valid interpretation of events and try label everyone as derranged UFO type hunters. Sorry but it simply doesn’t work that way… you cannot dismiss opinions others have, attempt to discredit them or imply bias because you don’t share them.

            eyes open

          7. @jimscreechy, maybe you should have finished that sentence off to make it more clear there:

            If a large portion of a group, community or faternity have a belief that some condition exists then one of two things are true, the notion is true, or the perception of the notion is true. Ether way something must be occuring for the notion to persist and denying it doesn’t refute this.

            by adding the notion is still not fact, nor true, but an existing perception.

            Why it exists? Because its clear that Withmarsh was really happy with Button winning those races when he hired him in the first place. Some of Hamilton’s fans have taken on the notion that therefore he must be biased towards Button, because its simply impossible that their hero can be regularly beaten in the races by Jenson, when he is clearly a faster driver. And people love conspiracy theories, even when the reality is far simpler.

            Why shouldn’t a team principle be happy the guy they just took on, paying him a healthy salary proves they were right by winning more than expected?

            As for a notion becoming a fact when enough people believe in it (I hope I have interpreted your comment right, that you do not think the perception becomes fact but the existence of the notion is there) , that would mean that the earth used to be flat until people stopped believing that.
            It does show that the notion that it was flat was real (as in existing) but not fact (because the world had been round all the time, just people did not believe it)

  9. Yup, my thoughts exactly. On one hand he is talking about welcoming change and on the other hand is making a jibe a Lewis for making a change!! Come on Jensen make up your mind!!

  10. The thing that stands out for me in that video is the fact that you can see Hakkinen’s shoulders when he’s sitting in the cockpit. After what happened to Donnelly you would have thought Lotus would have done a bit more of a redesign on the 102….

  11. In 2010, [Ricciardo] carved 1.5sec off Sebastian Vettel’s pole position time in Abu Dhabi. Same car. Same track.

    The writer of that Telegraph article might want to look into a little phenomenon we like to call “track evolution.” Does he also think drivers become more and more skillful from one practice session to the next during the course of a given race weekend?

    Don’t get me wrong — Ricciardo’s laps during that test were super-impressive. Just not quite as impressive as the guy who wrote that article (who has NO agenda, I’m sure) would have his readers believe.

    1. I’m an Australian and a Ricciardo fan (got his autograph at Spa and Monza pitwalks last year ;) ) and I would love to see him achieve greatness in F1, but that article has multiple ridiculous statements. Like seriously, supposedly “Ricciardo has become the most talked about young driver in the sport”.

  12. I understand that drivers became sick of Grosjean’s incidenets last year but I think that simply having a go at him about it only made it worse. He saw a sporting psychologist, he didn’t bare his early season smiles and no longer looked the fast paced new star he was in Bahrain, Spain, Canada & Valencia et al. The way Grosjean was dealt with, to me, seemed counterproductive to everyone. What should have happend, particularly with the Webber situation, was Mark should have approached him and simply said ‘Look, what’s wrong, how can we help you get around it?’ It’s not like Mark was a title contender anyway – his season frankly, was dire! Massa almost caught up with him having scored almost no points in the first dozen races! I’m not saying he should have been babysat etc, but some advice on pressures of the job, dealing with starts etc would have been very reassuring from an experienced driver like Mark; afterall I doubt Kimi ever gave him the time of day. Going into turn one thinking “Oh God please don’t crash, please please…” as Grosjean must have thought at least once in the late season races is not helpful to anyone, it increases the risk of a crash in my opinion if a driver is not confident of himself and not 100% in the right frame of mind. You only need to look at Mark’s start troubles in 2011 as an example, as soon as people started talking about it regularly it became much worse – as I imagine Mark was sat on the grid thinking “Oh God please don’t mess up, please please!”…

    It’s like anything else, working on preventing a bad situation is much better than letting it happen, dealing with it badly, making it worse and then complaining about it. While it’s clear that Romain had some driving issues and most incidents were his fault; I think his situation was poorly handled to the point where it was made worse.

    1. But maybe a good old fashioned punch to the nose might have helped just as much.

      1. @hohum – Good thing Schumacher wasn’t on the receiving end of Grosjean’s misindevours, otherwise he’d be getting a swift punch like what very nearly happened to Coulthard! ;)

        but he shouldn’t be in Formula 1 then

        I feel that’s a necessary correction: if he has sorted himself out properly then he should be fine, but if not he can clear off for all I care and spare every other driver’s races.

    2. @nick-uk – well sorry to sound remorseless, but he shouldn’t be in Formula 1. Quite frankly, the drivers don’t care about your feelings – this is the lions den, and everybody is competing to be the alpha male. The pussy cats will be eaten alive, and Grosjean looks to be showing the early signs. Either man up or give up.

      1. @vettel1 Pretty terrible comparison with lions… seeing as they work together. If things continue the way they are currently dealing with it it will lead to more crashes – as I said, counterproductive, tacle the source of the problem.

        And are you seriously trying to make the case to say he doesn’t deserve/shouldn’t be in F1?? When he displayed so much talent in multiple events, including some world class passes and the presence of so many second rate pay drivers is worse than ever! It seemed to me he had an off season much like Lewis did in 2011. Time will tell if it was a one off like Lewis or a genuine trend.

        1. @nick-uk which is why I made it clear to correct the comment. I don’t think you’ve watched lions during mating season then; it’s amazing how animals change! But basically, if he can’t handle himself or others comments then no, he shouldn’t be in F1.

          1. @vettel1 Lions don’t have a mating season… much like humans they just go at it when the female is ready.

          2. @nick-uk – indeed they do and I stand corrected, but you are missing the point entirely. If Grosjean is mentally affected by comments like that he’ll be eaten alive by the other drivers – any sign of weakness is just an opportunity to exploit to weaken the opposition.

  13. So saying that someone changed their team because they needed a new challenge nowdays is an insult? Come on, guys…

    1. Yeah, I think people are reading too much into Button’s words. After all Lewis said the same thing a few years back about wanting to finish his career at McLaren.
      Interestingly, I think it was only Hakkinen who was really glad to finish his F1 career with McLaren.
      Wonder if Button will feel the same at the end of this season.

      1. Well, doing a season just because your team REALLY wants you to drive for them, must give some wings and mental freedom in addition to winning two GPs you always wanted to win. Mika FTW!

  14. Such a heart-warming foto of mark and his dad. Wish them well , especially Mark this 2013 season. May he beat his team mate!

  15. “I think it’s an interesting device because there’s a bit of a thrill when someone gets within that DRS zone and suddenly shoots past the car in front of them.”

    No there’s not, Its dead boring & totally unexciting when that happens.

    I find nothing interesting or exciting about it.

    1. Agreed: you could argue there is excitement in the lead driver trying to get out of DRS detection range, but that is it. “Shooting past” is no fun at all.

    2. Agreed, I think Bernie has put the word out to commentators to say nice things about DRS or be frozen out, as I suspect negative comments about the tyres were silenced.

      1. Your on the right track, However its nothing to do with Bernie or the FIA ;)

        There is an agreement within FOTA & the GPDA That any criticism of DRS, Pirelli or KERS will be done privately.

        Something that frustrates me is that when the TV company’s have guest’s on & they criticize DRS, There often looked at like there some sort of idiot & cut-off.
        Go back to the BBC coverage of Melbourne 2011, Niki Lauda said he thought DRS was too artificial & didn’t like it & Coulthard cut him off & looked at him like he was the only person in the world who thought that way.
        Same with Jaques Villeneuve on Sky at Canada last year, He pointed out some things he didn’t like with DRS/Pirelli’s & he was looked at like he didn’t know what he was talking about & his opinion was somehow crazy.

        I often feel that the TV broadcasters don’t give both sides of the argument, They go on about how great DRS & Pirelli’s tyres are even when the DRS moves have been way too easy & when the Pirelli degradation has been a bit over the top. You also often hear commentators go crazy about a DRS pass like its the most exciting overtake ever even when its been too easy & totally unspectacular to watch.

        There are people out there who like DRS, However there are perhaps just as many who don’t so I feel both sides of the argument need to be heard/discussed on the TV broadcast’s but right now its very 1 sided.

    3. Perhaps you should try it at 200 mph then…..

      1. @baron – we are talking purely from a spectators point of view here, and the general consensus seems to be (on this blog at least) that the fans don’t like easy overtakes. If we wanted purely volume of overtaking there is always NASCAR…

  16. For the love of all thats holy, why on earth is everyone assuming Jenson said that as an insult. It’s as much a statement of fact as anything else – Hamilton said he wanted a new challenge. All Jenson is saying is that he’s happy at Mclaren, and wants to stay there.

    There are far too many people who look for any slight in any drivers comments, be it real or imagined.

    1. Yeah, some of the reactions to Button’s comments are totally baffling. How anyone could see what he said as insulting Hamilton is beyond me.

  17. Dah !!!! Another Text book comment from a driver to improve the morale of the team and keep the team principal happy ….. I am so bored of this comment.

    Lewis, Schumi, Fernando, Button and many more have said this at some point when they feel happy about the team. The first instance there is a bungled pit stop , their mood changes. Eventually these guys are racers, all they want is a good car and an environment where they can win the championship. Rest everything, all the loyalty talks are smoke screen and fodder for the media and fans. So lets rejoice his comments and talk about it to eternity.

    1. So lets rejoice his comments and talk about it to eternity.

      I guess most people here (including myself) are suffering from race withdrawl syndrome so they are tearing apart any piece of F1 news they get. The Australian GP still seems to be like an eternity waiting, at least @keithcollantine could do is another Caption Competition.

      1. @klaas I admit that I am equally guilty. Being a hardcore F1 fan, it is very hard to live without F1 news for so long. So any news is intresting these days. Thanks to @keithcollantine for keeping us engaged through the hard winter hibernation.

        1. yes you are right ! This website is one of the few that updates daily. A round up followed by an article or two . But I visit it about 4 times a day for some juicy news and comments. Kind of bored for action ,really . Saturday is taking too long to arrive :(

  18. I would like to ask a question. Did this kind of Jenson Button/Mclaren/Whitmarsh conspiracy thing and general Button hate take place last year or year before? I can’t seem to remember, but I think it didn’t.

    There is a danger that a ‘meme’ starts in this way, and then becomes accepted fact. To call Button a ‘midfield driver’, and ‘nobody wants him’ is plain fantasy. He has earned his dues, beating the much fancied Jack Villeneuve and giving the acclaimed LH a run for the last 2 years doesn’t make a midfield driver in my book. Jenson’s approach to racing is akin to that of a football goal poacher – always lurking and taking advantage of every opportunity. I don’t remember them being villified for utilizing that strategy. Of course, I guess the crowds really respect a balls out racer and even if he crashes and burns is still a ‘hero’. That’s all very well and good, but Jenson is racing in his own style and being very successful, whilst his former team mate, whilst quick in places has a suspect temperament. The clue to the origins of hate on Button is due to the circumstances surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s last 2 years at McLaren – much of which was self induced and almost universally, comes from his ‘fans’ who seem to have emigrated from football. If you throw in the infamous ‘tweets’ both of which were totally inaccurate, then you have a platform from which to slander/libel Jenson’s reputation.

    To read this nonsense about any of the drivers frankly makes my heart sink but it probably reflects the kind of society in which we now live, and it stinks. I personally don’t care about conspiracies and who said what to whom – I’m just here for the racing and I wish people would just leave the personal stuff about the drivers out of it completely – it just ruins the atmosphere of what was once a bunch of enthusiastic and knowledgeable followers.

    1. Honestly? This ********* has been taking place on here since Jenson first won for McLaren. There seems to be a certain contingent who’ve decided that there’s no possible way Jenson could win against Lewis on merit.

      1. Yeah, the same contingent who think being fast on Saturday makes you the best on Sunday.

        hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

  19. @ Nic.uk. –

    “Mark should have approached him and simply said ‘Look, what’s wrong, how can we help you get around it?”

    Really mate? I think Mark was more worried while he had been punted out of an easy P2 rather then helping the Frenchmens development. I get you point in helping your fellow driver, and those in the pinnacle of their chosen sport stick together…………… but its all BS isnt it!!??

    I read quite a few drivers when asked of their interaction with their team mate in this pre-season, and NONE I read suggest they are close, mate with or really even care for their team-mate- and yes Kimi was asked about his team-mates 1st lap mishaps- some along the line llike “I dont think about it, talk to him about it, its up to him, I concertrate on me!”

    While I am sure we all expect nothing less that that from Kimi, if Grosjean cant get some advice and mentoring for his team mate sitting 5 meters away, I cant see how the other on the grid will- ESPECIALLY those he has taken out. For the record I am a fan of Romain and hope he irons out the errors and wins his first race this year.

    Some have said he has no business in F1 due to last year- I do disagree with that at this stage (just) but if he continues in the first 1/3rd of the year they will need to out him. I hope he comes good!!
    Garns

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