McLaren Fans: Jenson Button As Team Leader

[Cam]

If Perez comes out and slaps him around on the track, Button will have no choice but to take on the 'mentor' role simply to limit damage. Button is under huge pressure now, it's not like against Hamilton who was the clear number 1. Personally, I think McLaren will take a cautious approach to letting Button design the car. Perez is raw and if they can hone him, Button could be in big trouble.

I personally think that McLaren probably see it as another year like 2002. An old, outgoing ex-Williams top driver (DC/Button) mentoring a new young hotshoot from Sauber (Raikkonen/Perez) who will be their future championship spearhead. While Button is probably a driver I'd rate higher than DC, I don't rate Perez nearly as good as I rate DC/Button, let alone Raikkonen/Hamilton/Alonso/Vettel

Really? I'm surprised. I never rated DC or Button and let's be honest, the DD won the championship - Button was right place right time and has never even worried the bookies in a McLaren - unless it rains, which is why I think he'll be a great mentor. He has WDC under his belt, anything else is a bonus for him. He'll settle in nice and cosy like Massa and play the role very well. Button just doesn't, IMO, have a killer instinct. I've never seen it on track or off.

Edit: typos

[raymondu999]

Really? I'm surprised. I never rated DC or Button and let's be honest, the DD won the championship - Button was right place right time and has never even worried the bookies in a McLaren - unless it rains, which is why I think he'll be a great mentor. He has WDC under his belt, anything else is a bonus for him. He'll settle in nice and cosy like Massa and play the role very well. Button just doesn't, IMO, have a killer instinct. I've never seen it on track or off.

Edit: typos

Yep - It's in large part more due to me not rating Perez very much. I don't rate Button/DC as the top of the top in the way I rate Hamilton/Alonso/Vettel. But if Hamlonsotel makes up Tier 1, I'd rate Button/DC as sort of borderline Tier 2/3-ish category. Which I don't even rate Sergio to be, unfortunately.

[Cam]

As always Ray, you surprise me. I have no idea how Perez will actually perform now he's in the big league, but I doubt he'll do a Romain. Fancy a side bet that he beats Button?

[raymondu999]

As always Ray, you surprise me.

Glad to please

In fact I've got some money running on him getting knocked out of title contention at least 2 races before Button does, actually (with a friend, not a bookie). The Sauber in my view is a better car than Kobayashi and Perez are showing – I think there are several races they should have won already.

I mean for example while Pastor was making a poodle out of the last 5 races in GP2 2010 – scoring 0 points – Perez still couldn’t make the deficit up, and ended 16 points down in a 10-point-win format.

It's a view that, ironically, was strengthened by the interview with Monisha Kaltenborn after the Japanese GP on Sky, when she said (I'm paraphrasing slightly) - "If you look at our two drivers, Kamui has generally been the better qualifier, meaning we couldn't take risks with his strategy. If you look at the podiums we've had with Sergio, they've mostly come from outside the Top 10, where we could afford to take a gamble with his strategy, and sometimes they've paid off. Kamui also has been slightly more unlucky. It's difficult to judge our drivers based on their outright results"

In a top-midfield situation like the Sauber is (or the Williams) – then similarly to Kubica’s 2010, then it’s easy to look good. When you have bad results – it’s the car. When you have a podium, it’s you.

But when you’re in an expected frontrunner, it always is you – if the result isn’t coming, generally, we would blame the driver, unless we knew for certain that it was the car at fault.

In any case, I get that it's not a popular belief. There are a lot of people who rate Perez, and while I do not agree with their reasons, I can understand their reasons for doing so.

[SilverArrow]

Really? I'm surprised. I never rated DC or Button and let's be honest, the DD won the championship - Button was right place right time and has never even worried the bookies in a McLaren - unless it rains, which is why I think he'll be a great mentor. He has WDC under his belt, anything else is a bonus for him. He'll settle in nice and cosy like Massa and play the role very well. Button just doesn't, IMO, have a killer instinct. I've never seen it on track or off.

Edit: typos

Yep - It's in large part more due to me not rating Perez very much. I don't rate Button/DC as the top of the top in the way I rate Hamilton/Alonso/Vettel. But if Hamlonsotel makes up Tier 1, I'd rate Button/DC as sort of borderline Tier 2/3-ish category. Which I don't even rate Sergio to be, unfortunately.

Honestly I feel the same way (and thought I was the only one). That's not to say that he can't change things around in a competitive car though.

I see next year at McLaren being similar to 2007 in terms of driver performance, with two weaker versions of Alonso and Hamilton in Button and Perez respectively.

[JimClarkFan]

If Perez comes out and slaps him around on the track, Button will have no choice but to take on the 'mentor' role simply to limit damage. Button is under huge pressure now, it's not like against Hamilton who was the clear number 1. Personally, I think McLaren will take a cautious approach to letting Button design the car. Perez is raw and if they can hone him, Button could be in big trouble.

I personally think that McLaren probably see it as another year like 2002. An old, outgoing ex-Williams top driver (DC/Button) mentoring a new young hotshoot from Sauber (Raikkonen/Perez) who will be their future championship spearhead. While Button is probably a driver I'd rate higher than DC, I don't rate Perez nearly as good as I rate DC/Button, let alone Raikkonen/Hamilton/Alonso/Vettel

Really? I'm surprised. I never rated DC or Button and let's be honest, the DD won the championship - Button was right place right time and has never even worried the bookies in a McLaren - unless it rains, which is why I think he'll be a great mentor. He has WDC under his belt, anything else is a bonus for him. He'll settle in nice and cosy like Massa and play the role very well. Button just doesn't, IMO, have a killer instinct. I've never seen it on track or off.

Edit: typos

Whilst all of this is true the same can be said about being in the right place at the right time for almost every WDC. I think that is a really unfair comparison to be honest, given that Jenson has never really been in a top team during his whole career until recently. There is no doubt in my mind that Ham/Alonso are better drivers, but few are in their league. Jenson has had to prove his worth in F1, unlike many of the other drivers he was never given a golden ticket and never had any money backing him. He's not the best, that's for sure, but I think he's a good deal better than some make him out to be.

[Cam]

Apologies if you feel I have denigrated him. That was not my intention. He can drive for sure and is a WC. I guess that's why we have different opinions - it's what we see or don't see in a driver and what our expectations are - rarely do others agree. There's nothing personal in it. Jenson, as I've said, will be a great leader and mentor, this much I am sure - something I wish Schumacher had done - but alas that is for another thread. Everything hinges on Perez's first 3-5 races. That will tell something. Not the whole story, but something. We all eagerly await.

[coaster]

I dont spend alot of time all reading this trash, but it usually boils down to a manhood measurement contest of who's best and the subsequent locking of the thread.

[CHT]

Jenson will of course be the team leader as he is a WDC and he is consider as senior citizens in F1 context.

I think 2013 will be a very important year for both Button and Perez. For Button his prime target for 2013 will be to make sure the Perez doesnt beat him on track, while Perez will want to proof that he could be the next Hamilton at Mclaren.
Potentially we could see a return of Alonso Hamilton rivalry at Mclaren.

Btw, how is Perez driving style compared to Button? Both driver seems to be able to nurse their tyres pretty well.

[PlatinumZealot]

How do you feel about that?

He's been coming out with some big talk recently about putting more of his direction on the car, he even came out and said he would love to be teammates with Alonso because he would give him a run for his money

Can he lead Mclaren to the title next year?

What does he bring to the table?

It's one big fat hypocrasy!

Hamilton could never ever utter being the defacto number 1. He was never allowed to by Mclaren, and if he did he would be slaughterd by the masses.

It is reall true that Hamilton was not wanted at Mclaren, or they did not like him.

I want to see how this Jenson Button's Mclaren develops in the coming years!

[Nando]

Hamilton could never ever utter being the defacto number 1. He was never allowed to by Mclaren, and if he did he would be slaughterd by the masses.

It is reall true that Hamilton was not wanted at Mclaren, or they did not like him.

That´s nothing special though, Mclaren have always equalized their drivers. This is the reason why there has been a drought in titles.

I don´t think Mclaren do not want Hamilton, he´s the only reason Mclaren are still relevant in terms of titles.
1999 was the last time they took a title if you exclude Hamilton´s WDC.

[Cylinder]

Did i just read something about Mclaren giving drivers equal treatment?

LMAO.

Go ask Montoya or Coulthard, or Prost or Alonso

Dennis always has his favorites.

Mclaren have problems managing top drivers, look at them now.......they would KILL to have Fernando Alonso back in that team, thank goodness they messed that one up though....cos now we got him instead.

[marcush.]

Life goes on .
Hamilton came in at Mclaren with a bang but since then there was not much he could add to the plate save some mojo extravaganza that is.
He is a damn quick driver no question -but superhuman ,no-
To do Button justice he was declared dead when signing with Mclaren but strangely enough he is still there now and even if some people here do not realise he is overall a match to Lewis maybe ultimately not quite as quick but obviously this does not
make him score less points.

[dren]

Jenson is a race winner and world champion. He is well liked by the teams he has been in. He can win in the wet and in the dry. He is an excellent passer, one of the best on the grid. His main downfall, and he openly admits it, is his inability to drive around a car that doesn't suit him. If Mclaren is capable of building him a car that will suit him all year, he most certainly will be in the championship hunt. Perez will not be the threat that Hamilton was for points grab. I agree with ray, Perez looked good because the Sauber was genuinely a good car, and at times a really good car. I will be surprised if Button doesn't beat him easily.

Also, Button is trying to be a team leader, not a number 1 driver. There is a difference.

[example]

I guess you missed what Webber said then,

Both of them fully justified to say what they did. And FIA agreed, that´s why he was banned for a race.

No, that was after Japan.
Ringo hit the nail on the head, Jenson won't mentor Sergio. Now that Lewis went he has a chance to be number one.