“It is character-building. It will be another step in his life and a very proud moment for him and his family and I can only wish him all the best. I look forward to challenging him next year and taking it back.”
Hamilton knows exactly what Button is going through as he tries to close out the title race, with a 15-point lead over his Brawn GP team-mate, Rubens Barrichello, with only three races left, starting with the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on Sunday.
“It is an overwhelming experience and for many of us drivers it is a dream since we were very young,” Hamilton, 24, said. “It is something that you wake up with and you live and breathe it day by day. You live to get to that dream and he is now in a great position to take it.”
For all his positive comments, Hamilton is also more aware than anyone how close a driver can get to the title only to see it snatched from his grasp. In 2007 he went into the last two races with a 17-point lead, but lost out to Kimi Raikkonen, of Ferrari. So his message to Button is “keep pushing” to the end.
“I can only guess what will happen,” Hamilton said. “But I know Jenson has a huge amount of support back home and it’s the same for me. It is going to be great for Britain, for England. They are very proud of their sportspeople back home so it is going to be great for them.”
Hamilton is rightly proud of his performance on the streets of Singapore, which he feels has helped to reinforce his standing as a worthy world champion at the end of a difficult season for him and McLaren. “I am showing that that No 1 was earned,” he said. “It was on my car for a reason. It is a positive feeling to be able to do that.”
He has also posted another marker for next season, which already has the makings of a classic, with Fernando Alonso, Hamilton’s former team-mate, likely to be a real threat should he complete his expected switch from Renault to Ferrari.
The pair are widely regarded as the best drivers in the sport and both have the same fighting quality and burning desire to win. Their stormy season together at McLaren in 2007 has left plenty of psychological baggage for them to unpack and, provided that both teams come up with competitive cars, the battle should be compelling.
Alonso’s move to Ferrari could be formalised this week. Helping to facilitate it is Raikkonen’s expected switch to take Heikki Kovalainen’s place alongside Hamilton at McLaren. Nico Rosberg looks to be heading from Williams to join Button at Brawn in place of Barrichello.
Raikkonen has appeared to be on the decline since winning the world title two years ago. The Finn is still quick, but his motivation is nothing like that of Hamilton and the move, unambitious but safe, looks like cementing the Briton in the No 1 role at McLaren.
For Raikkonen, who spent five years at McLaren before joining Ferrari, it is a backward step, but he may feel more comfortable in the British team now that Martin Whitmarsh has taken over the team principal’s role from Ron Dennis, whom he did not hold in high regard. It also presents Hamilton with a new challenge in an insular team-mate who is likely to ignore him professionally and socially.
How they stand 1, J Button (GB, Brawn GP) 84pts 2, R Barrichello (Br, Brawn GP) 69 3, S Vettel (Ger, Red Bull) 59 4, M Webber (Aus, Red Bull) 51.5 5, K Raikkonen (Fin, Ferrari) 40 6, L Hamilton (GB, McLaren Mercedes) 37 7, N Rosberg (Ger, Williams) 30.5 8, F Alonso (Sp, Renault) 26 9, T Glock (Ger, Toyota) 24 10, J Trulli (It, Toyota) 22.5 11, F Massa (Br, Ferrari) 22 12, H Kovalainen (Fin, McLaren Mercedes) 22.
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