Button: “Hamilton's pace will surprise Mercedes”

Jenson Button believes that the step of Lewis Hamilton will surprise you Mercedes when the English driver will be able to make the most of the car.

Hamilton struggled a lot in the comparison with his teammate Nico Rosberg, obtaining only one pole compared to his teammate's 3, however the Englishman admitted that he is comfortable with the car under braking. In an interview with Auto Motor Und Sport, Jenson Button said he was surprised by his former teammate's lack of pace, but said it was only a matter of time for Hamilton to demonstrate his potential.

“We have to be honest, he scored a lot less points than Nico. Lewis is incredibly fast, but he's exactly like me; if he doesn't find the correct balance of the car to make it suitable for him, and he has done this for many years, it is not easy. And obviously Nico is very fast, but Lewis hasn't lost his speed. He's still here and when he comes back he's going to surprise us all,” Button said.

With Mercedes set to go to court over the testing matter, Button was asked if he thinks the Stuttgart firm has been helped in its tire wear woes by this secret test.

“Both drivers say no. You have to believe them otherwise they would both be liars. So I believe him."

Stefano Rifici