The curious case of Jenson Button

[Pup]

What goes around comes around. Hamilton was the beneficiary of McLaren's data sharing when he entered the sport. Back then it was Alonso who was pissed because of it. But that's the way the team works.

[myurr]

What goes around comes around. Hamilton was the beneficiary of McLaren's data sharing when he entered the sport. Back then it was Alonso who was pissed because of it. But that's the way the team works.

Data passing is one thing, compromising your running because your teammate isn't able to pass you good data is quite another. I'm not saying that's what is happening, but McLaren have to be careful not to compromise Hamilton in their quest to help Button. Hindering either driver, even if it helps the other set their car up better, would be wrong.

[clarkiesyeah]

...It is all in Button's head.

+1

That would make sense, what doesn't make sense is wasting resource on chasing a wilde goose. They need to sort his head out, not his car at the expense of Lewis' WDC.

[bhallg2k]

How is Button's campaign in any way hampering Hamilton?

[Shrieker]

The team is more concerned with helping the slower driver while the faster one who is in with a chance to win the title might need that support more ?

[marcush.]

whatever does the trick...they need to score strongly with both cars.
Mclaren has the capacity to do so.
Hamilton bemoaning Button accessing his secrets ...is as it is..You cannot hide much for long these days...and i´m sure it went the other way round when Button was more successful than the boss...

[n smikle]

How is Button's campaign in any way hampering Hamilton?

All of the top engineers are focusing on Buttons car. That includes Hamilton's engineers as well who are bringing everything they know from Hamilton to Button's engineers. Directing every millisecond of track data. Breaking Hamilton's actions into mathematical equations that can be given to Button.

The second time Mclaren have taken his engineers.

[n smikle]

whatever does the trick...they need to score strongly with both cars.
Mclaren has the capacity to do so.
Hamilton bemoaning Button accessing his secrets ...is as it is..You cannot hide much for long these days...and i´m sure it went the other way round when Button was more successful than the boss...

One has to admit, Hamilton did take Button's setup after Australia and used them as his base for 2012, whereafter their base setups diverted. A very adaptive creature Hamilton, he was operating on Alonso's setups too for the first half of 2007 (up to Monaco?). The good thing is, he not only copied but he actually learned from Alonso how to develop the setup of an F1 car and he never forgotten since.

[Pup]

All of the top engineers are focusing on Buttons car. That includes Hamilton's engineers as well who are bringing everything they know from Hamilton to Button's engineers. Directing every millisecond of track data. Breaking Hamilton's actions into mathematical equations that can be given to Button.

The second time Mclaren have taken his engineers.

Taken? I see that they had one meeting to share data. How is that taking his engineers, or "all the top engineers focusing on Button's car"?

If Button and his engineers are at sea, then it means they are only collecting useful data from one car. Getting them back on track will benefit Hamilton in the long run.

[myurr]

It's more than that. They're talking about splitting the running, so that instead of evaluating certain setups or tyres Hamilton instead has to rely on Button's data. This is supposed to allow McLaren to cover twice as much ground in the practice sessions, but will only work if Button is collecting good data. Given his setup woes recently that is not a given.

Hamilton has just come off his best weekend of the season into a new testing regime and has a poor buildup to the weekend where he's been unhappy all the way and has ended up having to guess at what the setup should be at the last minute. Maybe I'm being unfair and it's just coincidence, but if it continues then it'll be another example of the operational side of McLaren screwing up Hamilton's chances.

[wesley123]

What goes around comes around. Hamilton was the beneficiary of McLaren's data sharing when he entered the sport. Back then it was Alonso who was pissed because of it. But that's the way the team works.

Difference was Hamilton was actually there and so was Alonso. Now they're only hampering Hamiltons progress to help Button get back on it.

[Pup]

How are they hampering Hamilton again? Sorry, I'm a bit dense with these things - his qualifying looked pretty good.

Seriously though, the argument I guess is that the team has put a disproportionate amount of resources behind Button and that Hamilton is left with a bag of spanners and two guys from the catering crew.

Well, we should be thankful that those two aren't behind the wheel guns anymore.

Hey, we all know McLaren's MO: they don't play favorites and they put their resources where they feel its most needed. As a McLaren fan for many years, I've seen the good and the bad of that philosophy and have certainly seen the pros and cons debated time and again here and elsewhere.

Actually, mostly what I see time and again is people clamoring on about McLaren favoring one driver one weekend, and then clamoring on about them favoring the other the next. Makes me laugh.

I like Hamilton - he's the best driver out there on most days. But, just like pretty much every other driver on the grid, he can be a spoiled little brat when he wants. I try not to pay attention to that stuff, since it leads to a lot of talk about nothing.

Anyway, like I said - helping Button will help Hamilton in the long run.

[Shaddock]

All of the top engineers are focusing on Buttons car. That includes Hamilton's engineers as well who are bringing everything they know from Hamilton to Button's engineers. Directing every millisecond of track data. Breaking Hamilton's actions into mathematical equations that can be given to Button.

The second time Mclaren have taken his engineers.

Taken? I see that they had one meeting to share data. How is that taking his engineers, or "all the top engineers focusing on Button's car"?

If Button and his engineers are at sea, then it means they are only collecting useful data from one car. Getting them back on track will benefit Hamilton in the long run.

When Button joined the team he took Lewis's race engineer who'd been with him since he started in F1 to his side of the garage. Now, his current engineer is meeting with Buttons engineers to make that car go around the track faster, and not working on his own car's setup.

[Pup]

I thought Hamilton's engineer was promoted to oversee both cars.

[clarkiesyeah]

I cant help but think Button is harming development of the car. With no upgrades for three races at least, it really does beg the question; Where is all the resource going? This, from a team that is renowned for its pace of development?

The negativity exuded like sweat from Jenson during his post q3 interview. His body language and his words betray his true feelings, he has, like couger from Topgun, "lost the edge" he is in fact "holding on to tight", I just hope he does't turn in his wings before the competition at Miramar starts.... oh hang on, i got too carried away with the topgun analogy. The point remains though.

Whilst I appreciate that Hamilton benefited from Alonso's setup in his rookie season, it was just that, his rookie season. I kind of expect a rookie to need to learn from his more experienced team mate. In fact, Alonso really had no problems in that regard until Lewis started beating him with his own stick. Fast forward 5 years... Jenson is by no means a rookie, in his first season, with no experience to draw from. So the comparison between this "sharing" and that in 2007 is fundamentally flawed. imo