Jenson Button says he’s been impressed with Lewis Hamilton’s attitude of late, noting the Mercedes driver’s ”upbeat” demeanor in Mexico City despite finishing second.
Hamilton qualified sixth at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, but a strong performance and execution by team and driver in the two-part event carried the seven-time world champion up to the runner up spot at the checkered flag behind race winner Max Verstappen.
There was no challenging the Red Bull charger over the course of the 71-lap race, but Hamilton’s strong display which followed up on his solid drive in Austin a week earlier certainly validated Mercedes’ progress.
Button noted how his former McLaren teammate’s positive disposition after clocking in second last Sunday marked a change in Hamilton’s attitude from the days when he considered the runner-up spot as the first of the losers.
“It’s great to see Lewis so upbeat,” commented the SKY F1 consultant. “He got out of the car, jumped to his mechanics.
“Lewis finishing second used to be a thing where he was disappointed. He can see progress, especially after last weekend’s disqualification. This is a big deal to him.
“Also, to keep those tyres working until the end of the race…
“For George? It’s tricky. Your teammate is second and you’re sixth. It’s tough, it really is.”
Indeed, Russell was once again comprehensively outpaced by Hamilton, in qualifying and on race day. However, on Sunday, a significant brake issue – which directly impacted his tyres – contributed to his underperformance relative to his teammate.
"It was like driving on ice for the last 15 laps, which was a pretty miserable feeling and I was very lucky to finish P6," Russell explained.
"We were strong here last year, we qualified on the front row and probably should have had a podium last year.
"We've definitely performed well, but this weekend has been about tyres as it has been for everyone.
"Qualifying was a total surprise for many teams, for good or bad, but I'm hopeful Brazil won't be that sensitive [on tyres]."
"I'm not too worried because of the reason behind [the deficit to Hamilton],” he added.
"It's been two race weekends in a row, two different reasons. Last time [in Austin] it was the fuel [saving] which lost the tyres, this weekend it was the brakes.
"We need some clarity."
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