The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Hamilton will bounce back
JENSON BUTTON believes an emotional Lewis Hamilton could potentially destroy Nico Rosberg at the next grand prix in Canada if history is anything to go by.
A fter three years together as McLaren team-mates from 2010-12, Button would like to believe he understands what made Hamilton tick and how he operated.
Hamilton readily concedes he wears his heart on his sleeve, and he did so again over the course of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
The 29-year-old initially suggested team-mate Rosberg had deliberately denied him pole position on Saturday, despite the stewards clearing him of any wrongdoing.
Claiming pole proved vital as Rosberg went on to spearhead Mercedes’ record-equalling fifth successive one-two, yet Hamilton totally snubbed the German during the podium ceremony.
Rather than hiding his emotions, Hamilton made it abundantly clear by his body language and short answers in the post-race press conference when asked about his relationship with Rosberg he felt aggrieved.
A ccording to Button, while Hamilton may be feeling hurt now, he has no doubt that come the next race in Montreal early next month, he will likely leave Rosberg in his tracks.
“It is interesting to see how things have changed with the incident (in qualifying) on Saturday,” Button t old Press A ssociation Sport.
“Whether Nico did it on purpose or not — Lewis is going to think he did — that is the way it is when you are team-mates pushing hard and f ighting for a world championship.
“Breaking Lewis’ run of wins has really helped Nico’s championship. Is Lewis strong enough to come back? I really do think he is.
“He is quite an emotional character and he will be quite hurt but he will come back stronger than ever.
“I think you will see a more determined Lewis at the next race, I really do. It is a circuit he loves.
“I remember with Lewis when we had a tussle in a race, or there was an issue between us or with him and the team, he would have a really bad race and be quite outspoken and emotional about it but the next race he would destroy me.
“He would come back stronger than ever, so the mind games people play on him will not work. If there are any games going on, which I don’t think there are, he will be on it next race, he will be very strong.”
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has promised the fans he will not stop Hamilton and Rosberg from racing one another.
“We are sitting down with each of them regularly and we are talking about things,” Wolff said.
“I guess we owe it to the teams, and to the fans in general, that we keep them racing.
“This is a bit more stressful for the team to manage the situation but I don’t want a situation where we freeze the order throughout the race. That is not what F1 is all about, therefore, we have to manage the consequence.”
The duo’s nearest challenger is Fernando A lonso for Ferrari, who is 61 points down, while in the constructors’ standings Mercedes are 141 points ahead of Red Bull.
A s far as Button is concerned, with still 13 races remaining, the titles are all but over for this year.
Button said: “They are so far in front, they will have to wipe each other out for anyone else to have a chance.”