Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton ready for F1 battle

Jenson Button looked happy; Lewis Hamilton looked pensive. At times it seemed that Button was the one who had been there for years and Hamilton was the new boy. Button did most of the talking and said all the right things. Hamilton stood brooding quietly alongside him, like a tiger ready to pounce on easy prey. Such was the body language as McLaren officially launched their all-English “dream team” for the forthcoming Formula One season yesterday and their gleaming new MP4-25 car, which they hope will propel one of the two world champions to a second slice of glory in November. The event at the Vodafone headquarters near Newbury, Berkshire, was as meticulous and stage-managed as you would expect from the most self-important and over-organised outfit in the Formula One paddock. But none of that, and none of the fine words from all who spoke — from Martin Whitmarsh, the team principal, to Hamilton and Button, the 2008 and 2009 world champions — could obscure the central question. Who is going to be the king of the castle at McLaren this year and who is going to lead the fight against the might of a returning Michael Schumacher at Mercedes GP, Fernando Alonso at Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull? If that is the main issue, a close second is the small matter of whether or not McLaren will be able to keep the lid on matters if their champions lock horns. It is a fascinating challenge for a team who have scored as many own goals on and off the track as victories in recent years. And it came as no surprise to hear that, for now at least, all is rosy in the McLaren garden. Whitmarsh talked of his excitement at having hired consecutive champions — something unique in Formula One history — and his conviction that Hamilton, Button and the team will be able to handle a potentially combustible combination. He called them “two honest and strong team players”. Button said how important it is going to be for him and his new team-mate to work together to optimise the new car for the good of everyone. Hamilton said that he had called Whitmarsh on the phone towards the end of last season to suggest Button as a possible team-mate, disputing rumours that neither he nor his father, Anthony, was happy to find himself up…

Source: Times Online

Posted by admin 30 January 2010

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