You need to get your head around this, the reason that Lewis qualified 0.4s quicker than Button was because he was 0.4s quicker than Button, 0.4s quicker in Q1, 0.4s quicker in Q2, 0.4s quicker in Q3, and at least 0.4s quicker in the race. You cant magically say if he had outqualified Lewis he would have beaten him if he wasnt even capable of doing that in the first place.

Trouble is Rosberg is looking really handy as well

Talking to yourself is not a good sign and answering yourself back is even worse

Button only qualified 10th in Q2 and just made Q3, that was his pace, he made no mistakes in Q3, not like Alonso or Webber

Alonso made a mistake Jenson didnt, Jenson basically just didnt have the raw pace

Alonso made a mistake

Why exactly are you telling me this?

Right. So you're saying Alonso's inconsistent?

no, he's saying Button is consistently slow.

Good job today by Button.

Remebering that Hamilton may be the best out there and Jenson is driving his car I think it will be a few races before we see the best of Him.

He may bring it up to Lewis but Hamilton is pretty special so I don't think he will better him though.

Presumably he / you also think(s) Schumacher has no chance of matching Nico this year?
After all he was consistently slower in one whole set of qualifying .

I thought before the season started that LH was probably a bit quicker than JB, and would outqualify him more often than not. I've not seen anything to change my mind. But on the other hand I'm not - [insert suitable description] enough to think that one qualifying session is enough to prove the square root of bugger-all. Or that the race told us anything at all except that qualifying is going to be crucial.

Hey Yorkie can you please post 17 times in a row again? It is possible to put all of your thoughts into 1 post you know.

They changed a rear wing element.

you keep comparing orange to apple.

Alonso made a mistake when it counts. Button was slower throughout the qualifying.
Schumacher was out of the sport for 3 years, naturally it will take some time for him get back on form. Button didn't retire 3 years ago.

Because youre basically saying the only difference between Button and Lewis was Q3

Yes i was

You dont see that Jenson was so much slower than Lewis in the race whereas MS was very similar in pace to Rosberg?

I was trying for a record

I tend to reply to specific posts

You are forgetting that there's a lot of pride at stake in this discussion. Most people have firmly nailed their colours to the mast on what they think will happen at McLaren this season. And they will belittle any argument that attempts to prove them wrong. I think the only thing we can safely say after the Bahrain GP is "Lewis 1 Jenson 0". And wait for the next installment in the land of Oz

Was it faulty?

I was merely suggesting that it might be the case that Button qualifies ahead of Hamilton in some of the following 18 races, and if he does, he may well beat him since qualifying appears to be king under the new rules. Your opinion appears to be that Hamilton is factually 0.4 sec quicker than Button and this will be the case on every lap of every event which I find pretty strange opinion to think that Formula One performance is that stable!

If you think that Hamilton being 0.4s quicker than Button in qualifying at one grand prix is conclusive proof of anything other than that he was 0.4s quicker in qualifying at one grand prix then any debate is pointless.

Of course its possible that Button will outqualify Lewis on merit or if Lewis makes a mistake, i thought before the season started that there might be some races were Button beats Lewis on merit

After watching lime timing its clear Lewis was quicker than Jenson in the race

Then you need your eyes checked out. I only said his race result was affected a lot by his 8th place in qualifying. That does not basically say the only difference between Button and Lewis was Q3.

Burn Him...

When was Button in clear air and not trying to conserve tyres?

I thought his pace was always dictated by the car in front. No?

What do you consider clean air?

As long as you beat the cut off time in Q1 and Q2 it doesn't matter an ounce what your time is - it has NO EFFECT on qualifying position or race.

The single most important lap of the weekend under these conditions is the Q3 qualfying lap, because, as we saw in Bahrain, Webber couldn't overtake despite having a quicker car. That is the area Button needs to improve, much more than race pace.

Well, when it's not dirty?

I would say 1-1,5 second is the limit.

Isn't it obvious? Maybe you should ask Martin Whitmarsh.

Don't know about clean air, I seem to remember a decent gap (5 or so seconds) in front of Jenson at times. Yet Hamilton was overwhelmingly faster. Almost every lap, bar the closing stages...

Whitmarsh has a very clever way with words, the clue is in the word 'decent'. What is decent in the context of his statement?

http://www.planetf1.com/news/3213/6028855/...een-Jense-Lewis

hey atleast we are finally past the level of just talking about what will happen.... the rubber is hitting the road

I think Jenson's laptimes would be closer to Lewis in Aus.... its a shorter track, Jenson will be a bit more settled...and they've both won there.

Wont put it past Lewis to be convincing again though...

I hope we have a better race there, and more overtaking.

Melbourne races have always being fairly interesting...its a decent track too

I mentioned two things. One was clean air, the other was tyres. When do you think he was going flat out and not thinking about tyres or slowed by a car in front?
Btw I'd say Lewis was in that position when he was chasing down Vettel after his engine problems. That's the only time he had reason and opportunity to go flat out.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82146

Button mentions pushing to catch up with webber near the end of the first stint so he was presumably on clean air and not so worried about tyres at that point.

Not sure if he let a gap develop to MS at any point in the second stint.

Do you have a link to this. I thought Martin Whitmarsh said there was nothing wrong.

I believe, Jenson will work hard and try to close the gap between him and Lewis
But, I don't think Lewis will sit round and wait
he will even work harder

There's nothing on the FIA documents...
Mercedes was the one who changed the rear wing element...

http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/f1_me...race-report.pdf

Some people here have no patience. Of course Lewis would be initially faster than Button, Button is new on the team. Let´s give some time for them, if by Spa Lewis is still faster then we can get to some conclusions. Same thing for Rosberg and Schumacher.

It´s not like it´s Vettel and Webber, when everybody knows who´s faster hands down...

Button looked as though he drove a race half expect those infront of him to burn up their tyres, there was something too relaxed about that drive, there was something too relaxed about his whole weekend.

Lets face the DD's was a massive relaxing advantage for him last season, and he will never get that again. Even if he stayed at Mercs/Brawn.

I think if Lewis Hamilton as a rookie who has recently admitted to not being able to get a shoe string at McLaren when he asked when he first joined, compared to all the demands 2 World Drivers Champion Alonso got and more or less matched him or slighlty edged him, what is World Double Diffuser Champion Button got that will truimph over Hamilton with 3 tough long seasons under Lewis' belt? Even if he tries to tear the team Lewis has known for the last 3 years apart and take his data, Hamilton will still get on and do the biz.

While cars are reliable Button's whole driving style ethos has to change, and he proved smooth equals slow. Goodness knows how he was locking his brakes at that pace.

Yes, I watched the live timing all through the race. Button was about 0.4-0.5 seconds slower than Hamilton on nearly every lap, clear air or not. A fact is a fact.

A suggest you guys to look at the lap times after lap 17(after pit stops), check lewis times, the gap to massa and check button's times and the gap to schummy...
Some may open their eyes...

http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/f1_me...ace-history.pdf

Alonso is new to Ferrari
Vettel was new to Red Bull last season
Buemi was new and unexperienced to TR and F1 still came out a little fastest than Bourdais (I believe)
Hamilton has been forced to fdevelop a new relationship with his new race engineer

I do not get this new to the team thing, Button has been in F1 since 2000 he is not a baby. McLaren's heads cannot get any futher up Jensons backside.

What about Alonso being new to the team? He didn't do too badly being new to the team. I'm a bit tired of hearing that excuse now.

It's just and excuse...
Lewis is also new to this car as is button, as are nico and schummy, massa and alonso...
It's bs to think the guys who are new to the teams didn't drove a car before or aren't experienced enough to make things work...

Schumacher totally different 3 years out and a neck injury.

Rosberg finished 5th and Schumacher 6th, not bad,

I agree... just like Alonso struggle in his new position at Ferrari against the established Felippe Massa

J