Jenson Button says Lewis Hamilton remains "hungry" to win another F1 world championship
Hamilton’s current contract with Mercedes expires at the end of the season and the 38꧙-year-old is yet to put pen to paper on an extension with t𝓀he Silver Arrows.
Despite speculation he could retire from F1 at the end of the se📖ason, Hamilton 🎃has expressed his desire to continue and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has indicated that a new deal is something of a formality.
2009 F1 world champion Button believes his former McLaren teammate will be back racing in 2024 amid his quest to end 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen’s current domination and eclipse168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Michael Schumacher’s record for most world titles.
“I don’t think Lewis is going to walk away from the spo🌃rt😼," Button said.
“As a racing driver, if you have been winning for 🦋so♕ long and then you are suddenly not, you want to fight back to winning ways. You are not going to retire.
“If you are in a bad car for many years, you want to retire because it just gets you down, but Lewis is not in a bad car. He is just in a car that is not as good as what he has been🎀 used to, and I get that.
“Buꦰt he knows the strength of the team, he knows how quick he still is, so he is going to work with this team to get back to fighting with Red Bull, and they will.
“It probably won’t be this year, butꦯ in 2024, we will see Lewis on the grid. He is still h♔ungry to win another world championship.”
Miami win would make Perez proper title contender
Button also had his say on the 2023 F1 title fight between Verstappen and Red Bull teammate168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Sergio Perez.
The pair are tied on two wins apiece after Perez’s victory in Baku last time out, a result which lefꦆt the Mexican six points behind Verstappen in the championship.
A second consecutive win for Perez in Miami would see him lead the F1 world champions🌜hip for the first time in his career, and Button reckons such a feat would mak🉐e him a true title contender.
"ඣI've been really imprꦗessed with Sergio," Button said.
"He did a really good job at the weekend [in ๊Azerbaijan]. Back-to-back wins, if you like, with the sprint race and the main event. T💙hat will give him a lot of confidence.
“We haven't seen him throughout a season be🎉 as competitive as Max.
"Max has to be the toughest team-mate, because he just goes out t🤡here and gets it🦋 done.
"He is on it every weekend. Lewis is on it every weekend, although maybe not so with the car this year. That's the way they go racing and it's why they're so difficul🎃t to beat over a season.
"Consistency is where Sergio has been lacking. But if he can do it in Miami - kind of a street race as well - I think he has a chance to fight for the championship. And I didn't think I would be saying🥂 that - I really didn’t.
"It's good for the sport. Red Bull has an advantage♛ at the moment and we need both of t🦋hem to be fighting it out.
"It adds to the title fight, so 'come on Checo!'"
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for 🌜mahbx.com around the world. Often reporti✤ng on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
