Jenson Button, former teammate of Lewis Hamilton, believes that the current Ferrari driver has changed significantly compared to when the two Britons shared the McLaren garage over a decade ago. According to the 2009 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton now displays a very different approach in how he handles both success and adversity, a shift that is particularly evident in his direct comparison with Charles Leclerc.
After qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix, Jenson Button explained how much Lewis Hamilton has changed over the years: “Lewis is a different character now compared to when we were teammates. If he was feeling down, the next day he would come back on track fired up and super fast. Now he has a much calmer personality, he’s a much more balanced person.”
While a more relaxed mindset can be beneficial for some drivers, Button believes it is actually hurting Lewis Hamilton. “I think it’s damaging him a bit, being constantly slower than his teammate,” he said in an interview with Sky Sports F1. “That’s not how Lewis Hamilton is wired. He’s a winner.”
In recent seasons, especially since the introduction of ground-effect cars in 2022, victories have become rare for Lewis Hamilton. The British World Champion has only managed two wins in 2024, one of which came under fortunate circumstances due to George Russell’s disqualification.
Since arriving at Ferrari, he has been clearly outperformed by Charles Leclerc—a trend that had already started to emerge in his comparison with George Russell at Mercedes. At this point, after the first six races of the season, Lewis Hamilton’s priority must be to adapt to life at Maranello as quickly as possible, in order to best support the team in this challenging period.
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