All four WDC winners are going into this season feeling that this will be a year where they can add to their tally of championships. They know what it takes to win one and they all know they'll have the car good enough to do it.

As for the intra-team battle, I'm sure Lewis thinks he can beat Button and that Button thinks he can beat Lewis. That's the way it should be.

Kimi & Lewis would have been the perfect combo. Kimi & Lewis would dominate Ferrari and Mercedes GP even if Mclaren won't have a car that's 100%.

Jenson is a better choice than Heidfeld because he's the world champion and so Mclaren can keep the number 1 on their car. And also don't rule out the sponsership money that Mclaren can generate.

It's a shame Kimi & Lewis lineup never worked. Jenson is just not good enough. Think Lewis will expose him just like Fisi and Ralph Schumacher did

i think you need to read the Q
the Q is if you cant win it anymore who would you like to win it

lewis gives the right answer
button gives a selfish answer and hes gonna regret it if somethings gonna happen

Jense thinks going up against Lewis is a huge challenge. That's why he's so focussed on himself in this question they were asked.

Lewis does not see Jense beating him on pace at all, for him if Jense beat him it would be down to a mechanical or something and that's why he can say (and mean) he'd like Jense to take the wdc if he can't himself.

Plus Lewis is a generous guy, and he has a very positive perspective on what he's trying to achieve.

And just like Massa exposed Kimi.

Racing drivers are generous.

Jenson is showing more aggression than usual -- kinda cool! I want some entertainment.

A huge challenge yes, but one of the reasons why he went to McLaren. He does think he has what it takes to beat Lewis. And I doubt he likes to talk about the possibility to be beaten by him before the season started. That's not why he went there.

No racing drivers are generous? They don't say nice things about other people in a generous way?

Yup Jense is giving it everything, credit to him in many ways but he's striking attitudes.

How is he going to regret it? What is going to happen? please explain that. You think Lewis is sitting at home twiddling his thumbs thinking "damn that Jenson not helping me get the WDC, how selfish and rude! i don't think i like him anymore!"

Nice world some of you lot live in.

I think JB will rue the day he said that

Seems the press now have a story

I don't think the drivers will care one way or the other. It's only the observers who are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.

I honestly think Button has underestimated the media glare/spotlight he will be under this year.

Massa never exposed Kimi, he just proved he is as good as Kimi. The interesting thing is that both drivers helped one another in the name of the Ferrari. I doubt Button would have the class to help McLaren like Kimi and Massa had done with Ferrari. Even Schumi in 1999 tried to help Irvine.

Yeah, whatever.

It was a really silly answer from Button
He don't wan't his Teammate to win, if he doesnt, he don't care (about the team)
Who pays your salary Jensi-baby?

What will Martin & Ron think about this answer?

Ever since Jenson stated his change to Mclaren,
we heard the obvious reason was the cahallenge to race against Lewis
I never heard him saying he want's to drive above all for McLaren

I disagree with you that it is a molehill because I am sure that Mclaren would want the driver that has no realistic or mathematical chance of winning the WDC to back the team mate still in contention up and btw, this is not new to F1. We have heard and red other drivers take this stance in the past and I am pretty sure we will hear it in future.

Having no 1&2 on the teams care enhances prestige and it is a very powerful marketing tool which translate to income to the team, income out of which drivers are paid. Now when a driver confidently and clearly states that he doesn't give a hoot about his employer's desire and aspirations only about himself, that says a lot about him doesn't it?

It is also very revealing because it could actually mean he knows he doesn't stand a chance of beating LH hence the stance. I remember Bari saying last year that he will back JB from whenever he falls out of the WDC contention. I don't remember JB voicing objections...

I've never heard Mac say they only ever wanted JB to drive for them. The top teams want the top drivers and vice versa. People need to stop over analysing everything in their attempt to bash.

Sometimes people should realize, that auto or motor racing is not a metrosexual hug-fest. Button wants to beat Lewis, and vice versa.
It's a little bit sad that they have to answer really carefully because of the media. If you answer Lewis in an empty room without any evidence i don't think that he cares so much about Button...

Where did he say he wouldn't help?

They all just did what the teams told them to. Kimi had to have his arm twisted by Monty in person and Schumi was skiving off at home to avoid helping Eddie win Ferrari's first wdc for 20 years, Monty had to get involved in that one as well. The last person they want to win is their teammate.

Lewis might be the exception, possibly, but a lot depends on the circumstances he's imagining of how Jense could win it and he himself not. Nothing to do with pace, I suspect.

you now how the press are if something happens lets say button didnt help lewis or he just cant help anyway they will get back to this and it will backfire on him
the same goes for lewis

and i mean that the Q was that if jenson coudnt win the wcc anymore who would he like to see win
you always say your teammate
some of you guys dont get the Q

im just woried that jenson cant take a step back when hes not in running for the wcc anymore
ofcourse when hes 1 and lewis only 8th in a race that would be stupid to step back but when jenson is 4 and lewis 5 would he let hamilton pass if he cant win the wcc anymore
i think lewis would do it because he cant have anymore bad press and he seems more a teamplayer than jenson alteast in words
but its to early to say anything the season hasnt even started yet

i just seems that jenson thinks hes the king now he have won the wcc he was just lucky that he gets a car that have bin build with no money to spare and ofcourse the doubeldiffuser helpt to
as soon as other teams got up with him he was nowhere
tell me what did he do in the second part of the season that made him so briljant?
hes a great driver but i think he will be the DC of this time whit this mean that he will be like DC a good driver buth always seems to be a tap to slow like dc was in the mika time

What does his attitude suggest to you?



Is that the statement of somebody that is going to help or assist?

Doubt many got along with Dave Ryan. He was well known as a w@nker within the team. Competent, yes. But a complete d!ck. Ask Andy on here.

Did Button actually say that he wouldn't help lewis if he himself was mathematically out of the running? If not, what's the big deal? He's just been very honest and said that if he can't win it then it doesn't matter who else does - that doesn't mean he won't play no.2 if the team asks him to do so. Anyway, it's good to see that they are different as people and have differing views on things/life instead following the boring corporate line all of the time.

And for those people harping on about kimi once more - just forget it. If he was still as good as a lot of you say, teams would have been desperate to sign him, yet the only team that showed the remotest interest was McLaren, who saw sense and signed button instead.

it seems he will always goes for own succes even if he cant win the wdc and his teammate can
thats not teambuilding that selfish it makes him look bad and hamilton good how can he expect that the team gonna help him if he says something like that
and that comes from somebody with 10j f1 exp
sometimes its better to give a pr answer than a answer that can backfire on him

So where is the actual reliable source of Jenson saying this at all?

Very true. I would even go as far as saying the last person you want to be beaten by is your team mate.
The point here is sharing the goals and apsirations of your employer but when you display a "I don't care" attitude to those aspirations, you are of less value to the business and a replacement will be found. It is not only business reality, it is also the reality of life and when this is coming from somebody with so much "experience", it makes matter worse.

If anyone thinks that there was jubilation at Mclaren when they heard those statements, that perosn seriously needs to think again.

Yes, but is was an official interview. Not a private talk
sometimes you have to say what others (your team/ firm) expect

Not source but sources. You guys are going to see and hear it on ITV shortly.

Fine, sources. So where are they? Us guys are not going to hear it on ITV shortly.

on page 34
and here again for you
http://blogs.news.sky.com/sportslines/Post...24-ce80c8d8e66d

Some people have brushed this comment off saying hardly any drivers would want their teammates to win. I beg to differ. Lewis' answer was decent and kind as he said Button due to the team and for British sport. Shame he's always the one who is quoted as being disloyal to his country for being a tax exile while Button's name is never mentioned, but he seems more concerned with British success than Button. Prost and Senna may not have wanted each other to win, but Button is a fellow Brit and makes out that he is "mates" with Lewis. He comes over as very false, selfish and not very pleasant. He's been given an opportunity at McLaren - you'd think he'd want the team to do well.

I get the impression he might be a tad jealous of Lewis - his reaction when he didn't beat Lewis' time on Top Gear was very telling. He even said "at least I don't sing in the car". He seems very conscious of Lewis' reputation and covets it IMHO.

So after all it is a source. Well that's cleared up.

the fact you have started it off with 'it seems' says it all really...

you don't know what he is thinking and what he will do when it comes to being a team player over the course of the season. Rather than making your own assumptions, wait until he gives any sign of not being prepared to be a team player on the track.

You will be able to hear the interview in full on Sky at 1130 on Saturday. But here is a link http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/60343,sport,...but-little-else



It's all over the news, so is obviously fact.

[/mod] { I think you are reading too much into the press quotes} [mod]

and dont forget that your teamate is also a part of the team
words can make or break somebody if he keeps saying stuff like that its gonna break him
lewis always seems to have respect for jenson in the press and button doesnt

That's just a newsstory on a British news website based on the small blog from that interviewer from Sky.

Drivers come and go. I am a Mclaren fan for more than a decade and still am which means I have at heart the team's interest and strongly desire their success.
If LH had made the statement that came out of JB, my reaction would have been exactly the same.

It is important for the team that the drivers succeed because this is a team championship because the oppositions are teams as well and if an important member of a team doesn't realize that, he is in the wrong job.

thats why i also say that we cant say anything because the season isnt even started yet
it only seems he doesnt care about the team

Too big a deal being made. It's very simple:

Q: If you can't win the WDC, who would you want to win?

LH: My team mate, for the benefit of the team.
What he's really saying: I don't even remotely see Jenson as a threat so I hope he will contribute to my mine and the team's championship and hopefully can do more than Heikki so this time together we can bring the team a WCC to complement my WDC.

JB: I don't care. I think about myself first and then the team.
What he's really saying: The team better well realise that I'm not going to be a No.2 and I want every opportunity to retain WDC. If I can't be WDC, the team better not think they can rely on me to move over to help Lewis' chances, regardless of whether my championship campaign is mathematically possible or not.

What will your reaction be if you were able to hear it with your ears and see it with your eyes or if the news is carried by the BBC or Autosport?

But he does, so he's in the right job.

not in his latest comments

That he actually said it. I doubt he said it this way anyway, even if he means something similar. I don't think it's right what he said if he literally said it, but in this topic it spins of into the craziest assumptions over a sentence from a reporter from Sky News, which full story won't even be out for days.

Indeed, that was what he was saying. I guess that much is obvious but he failed to realise that his stance is not in the business interest of his employers and he should also realise that no top team is ever going to give him a driver with that attitude a job. The job of a F1 driver is to drive first for himself and for the team second. JB seems to understand the first part but not the second after more than 10 years experience as a F1 driver.

He's not even quoted yet.

Basically you are saying it is fine if he means something similar but presented it differently?

It's a losing argument. You know that in this case the quotes are going to come and it's going to be exactly the same as has been reported so far. You'll see in a few days time.