Lewis Hamilton confident he can get better of McLaren team-mate Jenson Button

Let battle commence: Lewis Hamilton and McLaren team-mate Jenson Button Photo: GETTY IMAGES Button and Hamilton both won three races in 2011 but it was the elder statesmen, Button, who finished ahead in the drivers’ championship, ending the year as runner-up to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, thanks to his more consistent form throughout the year. In doing so, Button became the first of Hamilton’s team-mates to beat him over the course of a season. Asked whether whether he had a gameplan to beat his team mate this year, Hamilton said he was not worried because he had pushed Button close – and won their qualifying head to head 13-6 – despite well-publicised personal issues, whereas he was in a better state mentally now. “No, I don’t have any concerns with it,” Hamilton said. “Considering last year, from my own personal feeling, that I wasn’t performing at my best and I was still … when you look at the qualifying positions – what was it? 13-6? – my performances were pretty good. “And I don’t even feel that in qualifying, even when I got pole, that I was extracting 100 per cent of what I can do. And in races even less than that. “But I feel that this year, if I’m at 100 per cent when I get to those races, I don’t have any concerns whatsoever.” Hamilton believes that his life had become too hectic in 2011 but said it was more settled now. “Last year I didn’t have the pieces of the puzzle in place,” he said. “I didn’t know which part went where. There were times when I was in the car and supposed to make a certain call, and when I made that call I said the wrong things. “There were times when I was juggling too many things; too many things I’d started were unfinished and too many questions remained unanswered. “There was a lot of time when my mind was elsewhere — at times I know my focus was less than 90 per cent where it should have been. “I feel I have corrected things that I’ve done wrong. I have a clean slate, with nothing hanging over me, nothing worrying me.” This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re…

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Posted by admin 4 February 2012

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