20/01/2010
NEWS STORY
Despite the egos, the media pressure and that fact that they are both proven championship winners, Jenson Button insists that he and Lewis Hamilton will work as a team this season.
"We'll be fierce rivals on the circuit," the Englishman told the BBC, "but to be quick and to fight for the world championships we need to work together, and that's what we'll do."
If any team has history in terms of teammates who didn't exactly get along it is McLaren which experienced 'problems' when it partnered the legendary Ayrton Senna with the equally legendary Alain Prost and years later experienced 'difficulties' when bringing in Lewis Hamilton to partner Fernando Alonso.
Despite both drivers having won the title and both being darlings of the British media, Button promises there will be no repeats of those earlier fall-outs.
"Lewis has gained a lot of experience in his short career in F1 and so have I," he said. "It's been negative and positive for both of us and if we bring it together we'll be a lot stronger package this season.
"I wouldn't have won the world championship without Rubens Barrichello," he continued. "We built the car up, we pushed for improvements, we worked together as a team and you see what happens at the end of the year. The only way of changing that is by working hard at the start of the year."
While Button's career has seen him at Williams, Renault, Honda and Brawn, Lewis has only ever known one F1 team having been involved with the team since he was 13. Button insists that there will be no favouritism.
"We will have exactly the same backing and support to achieve what we hope to achieve," he said. "Whatever happens this year happens, but first of all we need to work together to be competitive. We really do need to work closely together, and Lewis understands that as well. It's an exciting partnership. "We'll have a close relationship and will work in the same direction."
Since officially becoming part of the McLaren team on January 1, Button has spent time at the team's Woking HQ getting to know everyone and working on the simulator. He also spent a week training in Finland.
"Before I came to the team I didn't really know what to expect and I think we all struggle with change a little bit," he admitted. "But so far the time I've spent with the team has been great. I can work with my engineers in the simulator and I have a really good relationship with Jakob Andreasen and Dave Robson. So it's been a good start and a good base to the relationship for this season."