Jenson Button's comments on Lewis Hamilton at McLaren are now fascinating amid Ferrari, Charles Leclerc saga
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will reportedly hold talks with Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur ahead of this weekend's Brazil Grand Prix after the events that occurred in Mexico City - and Jenson Button may well have already summed up what Vasseur will want to say.
Hamilton was critical of Leclerc after his Ferrari team-mate attempted a move around the outside for the lead of the Mexico City Grand Prix on lap one. Leclerc went off track and gained an advantage, having appeared to carry too much speed into the corner, but took the lead before being given a five-second penalty.
Hamilton felt Leclerc's actions cost Ferrari a one-two, as the seven-time champion also left the track in the same corner but rejoined safely and was overtaken by Max Verstappen.
He reiterated his stance towards Leclerc during his Thursday press duties in Sao Paulo, and Autosport report that Vasseur and Ferrari will hold clear-the-air talks with both drivers ahead of Sunday's race at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. And there is at least some precedent for how Ferrari can deal with the situation.
What Jenson Button said about Lewis Hamilton
Back in 2011, McLaren's Jenson Button won a heavily rain-affected Canadian Grand Prix in what was one of the most remarkable victories in Formula 1 history. He had pitted five times, was given a drive-through penalty, and was 21st and last with over half of the Grand Prix completed.
Advert
But on the last lap, the 2009 world champion overtook Sebastian Vettel for the lead of the race after the Red Bull driver slid off track - though the race could have ended much differently for him.
On lap 7, Hamilton attempted to overtake his team-mate Button at the pit straight when he was pushed into the inside wall by his team-mate. Hamilton had left rear suspension damage and was forced to retire from the race.
Button escaped without penalty; the stewards deemed that he had not intentionally collided with Hamilton, and Hamilton himself admitted that Button likely hadn't seen him in the poor visibility caused by the wet conditions.
It was what Button said about the incident after the race, though, that should guide Ferrari in how they deal with rules of engagement surrounding Hamilton and Leclerc.
Button described Hamilton as 'one of the best drivers Formula One has ever seen', at a point where he had won only one of his seven world titles.
But he also spoke of how his respect for Hamilton grew because, before that point, they had 'never touched' - something Ferrari surely will be echoing to their two drivers now.
"Lewis is in the headlines a lot, and a lot of it is because he is bloody good," Button said (via The Guardian). "He's a racer, a fighter. For me, that is the reason why I wanted to be here, against and with a driver that is super-talented, one of the best drivers Formula One has ever seen.
"It's good challenging him on the circuit. We have a lot of respect for each other, we've raced each other a lot this year and last year, and we've never touched. We've always given each other room. For me, that's a great position to be in."
READ NEXT: Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc saga settled by Valtteri Bottas ahead of Brazil GP
What will Ferrari do about Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton saga?
Clearly, any repeat of the incident between Hamilton and Leclerc last weekend will do Ferrari little good as a team.
Speaking after the Grand Prix in Mexico City, team principal Vasseur described it as a 'lack of respect, a lack of respect for the brand, a lack of respect for all the people working here and for the efforts we're putting in'.
Hamilton pointed out that 'every decision you make in the car impacts all the people who work in the background - the whole team'.
Leclerc, meanwhile, did briefly address the incident post-race in Mexico, but wasn't present for media duties as he was attending the birth of his first child in Monaco.
What that means is that only Hamilton, Vasseur and any other Ferrari staff member present in the clear-the-air meeting will hear Leclerc's full version of events from his perspective.
And regardless of the conclusion they reach, something at the team is clearly going to have to change - whatever that looks like.
Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, McLaren
Ryan Smart
