Lewis Hamilton’s former teammate, Jenson Button, isn’t writing off the Mercedes driver after a disappointing start to his 2022 campaign.
The retired Formula 1 world champion said the criticism being leveled at Hamilton for finishing 13th at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last month was unfair.
“He’s had a couple of bad races, we all have it in our career,” the Williams Racing ambassador told the Post ahead of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix this weekend. “At the moment he’s finding it tough, and people are saying he’s not doing as good a job as his teammate [George Russell].
“He’s not lost it since last season when he was winning races. He’s a seven-time world champion — almost eight — he will keep fighting as long as he wants to.”
Button, who was teammates with Hamilton at McLaren in the early years of his career, said it was “only a matter of time” before the 103-time Grand Prix winner led his team back to the front of the grid.
“If he wants to be competitive, he will be competitive. He’s so important to that team, he has so much experience, and he knows how to develop a car,” the 2009 champ said.
However, Mercedes is now facing its first uphill battle since 2014, having won the past eight Constructors’ Championships.
“It’s unusual for a lot of guys on the team, it’s the first time they haven’t been winning,” Button said. “[But] it’s going to be good for their careers. You need to lose sometimes, it strengthens you as a person, you learn a lot as well.”
F1 now heads to South Florida, with the checkered flag set to wave on Sunday, May 8 at the Miami International Autodrome.
“It’s going to be the new best race in F1,” Button said of the Miami GP.
“I know that’s a big thing to say … poor Monaco,” he quipped. “There’s so much excitement around this race, and Miami is such a fun city. It’s going to be a mad weekend.”
