McLaren Fans: Jenson Button As Team Leader

[Cylinder]

How do you feel about that?

He's been coming out with some big talk recently about putting more of his direction on the car, he even came out and said he would love to be teammates with Alonso because he would give him a run for his money

Can he lead Mclaren to the title next year?

What does he bring to the table?

[Nando]

I think it´s superficial, i honestly think Perez might be quicker out the box but only just.
I think Button has met his match in tire management as well.

Although if the car is championship material and it holds up, i expect Button´s experience to come into play in the final stages of the season.

[JimClarkFan]

I actually think he is a very good team leader, he was loved at Brawn and seems to be well liked at Mclaren. He knows what he likes in a car and is very particular to certain car characteristics. His sensitivity to car handling problems and his inability to drive around car problems ought to help him develop a good car suited to his liking i.e. a well planted. (Oddly enough I feel the ability of Lewis to drive around car problems makes him less able to guide car development.)

This is the first time that Button has been the defacto leader capable of consistently producing a car that is very good, he has never had that luxury before and so this will be a very telling year. His input is likely to be taken into account much more than Perez who the Mclaren big wigs say has a lot of learning to do.

I actually think he will show Perez up next year, because Button is not only a very good racer but he is also very very quick in a car that suits him - everybody seems to forget his poles in 2004 and 2006 when he didn't have the best car (below). Button is a confidence driver, take that away from him and he isn't so fast but put him in a car that he can trust and he's one of the fastest....thus the thread 'The curious case of Jenson Button.'

Perez has shown great race pace but little quali pace of note, and against Button he is up against a guy who has serious speed, albeit within a narrow window, and who also has a very strategic head on him. I don't even think it is going to be close actually, but we will see...

Those videos:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otL_R0LJhEc[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok3FvxzTXDY[/youtube]

[Lycoming]

to what extent can/should a driver "lead" a team? Ideally you just want two drivers who can give you usable feedback, who can set consistently fast times everywhere, be close enough to each other to push each other, and can race each other cleanly.

[example]

This Button fella has a big mouth. He even suggested that FIA shud punish Romain more, such a gentleman he is.

[Nando]

I guess you missed what Webber said then,

Both of them fully justified to say what they did. And FIA agreed, that´s why he was banned for a race.

[CMSMJ1]

Jenson will do a good job. Don't see him winning the title but I am sure as eggs is eggs that he will comprehensively hand young Checo his arse in the points at the end of the year.

Not likely to win the WDC unless he has another year of car dominance a la Brawn but he will win a couple, will be always there or thereabouts as he is a gernuinely quality driver.

Good luck to him.

[Cam]

If Perez comes out and slaps him around on the track, Button will have no choice but to take on the 'mentor' role simply to limit damage. Button is under huge pressure now, it's not like against Hamilton who was the clear number 1. Personally, I think McLaren will take a cautious approach to letting Button design the car. Perez is raw and if they can hone him, Button could be in big trouble.

[JimClarkFan]

If Perez comes out and slaps him around on the track, Button will have no choice but to take on the 'mentor' role simply to limit damage. Button is under huge pressure now, it's not like against Hamilton who was the clear number 1. Personally, I think McLaren will take a cautious approach to letting Button design the car. Perez is raw and if they can hone him, Button could be in big trouble.

You think Hamilton was the clear number 1? I'm not sure I ever seen much of a bias towards any driver during his 3 year spell with Lewis, which is surprising because Hamilton was clearly the better of the two of them this year.

[Cam]

If Perez comes out and slaps him around on the track, Button will have no choice but to take on the 'mentor' role simply to limit damage. Button is under huge pressure now, it's not like against Hamilton who was the clear number 1. Personally, I think McLaren will take a cautious approach to letting Button design the car. Perez is raw and if they can hone him, Button could be in big trouble.

You think Hamilton was the clear number 1? I'm not sure I ever seen much of a bias towards any driver during his 3 year spell with Lewis, which is surprising because Hamilton was clearly the better of the two of them this year.

Perhaps - but the reaction when Hamilton went, would not be the same for Button - do you think?

[CMSMJ1]

Do you guys think that the challenge for Button to go to McLaren against Hamilton was a bigger or lesser challenge than for Checo to go there against Button?

Not many people predicted that Button would do as well as he did.

Sergio will do well...but there is no way he is going to be handing out manners to Button. He failed to do it to Kamui...

[ringo]

Button is a smart guy.
He's trying to be the roaring lion of mclaren. He's gonna holler and scream to make the world, Checo and checo backers know that he's not to be overlooked and he's the big man in town.

The reason he's doing this?
Checo doesn't respect Button as an obstacle to him winning a championship. If you notice Checo's words, he never yet mentions button. He says that he wants to be champion next year. The car will be good so why not? Not even a mention of Button. He already has put Button under his foot like a dead pedal. He don't give a dang about who Button is or what he can do.
Button is chaff in the road for Checo, sand on the scales, irrelevant as far as the Mexican sees it.
I like Perez's attitude and i want to see him open a can of whoopass next year.

So this is why we see Button displaying this kind of behavior, It's very political and it's putting Mclaren on the spot by going very public with his intentions. I find it bold faced to be honest. It's also a bit selfish. Mclaren has an equal driver policy and he suddenly wants that to change cause Hamilton is out and Checo is suppose to be #2.
Hamilton didnt get such a luxury with Heiki or Button, and Alonso didnt get such a luxury either with a rookie Hamilotn, and that's coming off the back of 2 championships. Who does Button think he is demanding #1 status over Perez who is no rookie by any measure?
I know he's wary of the weighttelmex carries so he has to balance that with a heavy jaw, but he's going a bit overboard, and it's going to backfire on him if Martin Whitmarsh comes out and says equal status. No way Telmex will be putting up so much money and Checo is a lap dog. MArtin has a gun in his headback, he's gonna be talking all kinds of superlatives for Checo. In some ways i'm sorry for Button, but his shouting and hollering is not helping him. It may make things worse.

[ringo]

If Perez comes out and slaps him around on the track, Button will have no choice but to take on the 'mentor' role simply to limit damage. Button is under huge pressure now, it's not like against Hamilton who was the clear number 1. Personally, I think McLaren will take a cautious approach to letting Button design the car. Perez is raw and if they can hone him, Button could be in big trouble.

You think Hamilton was the clear number 1? I'm not sure I ever seen much of a bias towards any driver during his 3 year spell with Lewis, which is surprising because Hamilton was clearly the better of the two of them this year.

I'm sorry for Lewis, of his six years with mclaren, 3 have been with compromise for jenson. 3 years!!
the first one was baptism by fire, the second was good as it gave him a championship. the third was a poor car. Then came unequal treatment with compromises to make Button feel at home. Half his mclaren career basically.
Now we see the same Button, who's basically been spoon fed for three years, ask for more (Oliver twist couldn't do it any better than this guy). Basically infringing on Perez's mclaren career and kid hasn't even stepped into a seat mould as yet.
Perez should be given a chance to feel at home. I hope Button's threats aren't affecting him mentally already.

So to answer the question, Button will be a team leader in his mind. Checo looks like a fiery guy if crossed. I don't expect him to let jenson lead the direction of the car. He'sd a humble kid, but i think he's really confident and truly believes that he can lead himself and mclaren to a championship without Button's input. I expect this rivalry to be a bit edgy and testing.

[DaveKillens]

Naturally, because of his experience against Perez, the development and race engineers will go to Button for input and advice. And because he's so sensitive to a car that doesn't perform properly, he will identify those problems very quickly.

But there's a lot more a driver can do to "lead" his team, and many very successful drivers have practiced this art of endearing themselves to the team. Even Fangio did it, and it was one factor in his success. The drivers learn all the names of the team members, even their wives and children. They actually show an interest in the people around them, and this positive attitude creates an environment where mechanics and engineers will work just that little bit harder, be a little more vigilant, and feel more invested in the driver.

They become a bonding agent, and create a positive and harmonious environment that increases productivity. Those kinds of driver are not disruptive to the team, everyone can concentrate on their jobs instead of being barraged by needless distractions. I see those leadership qualities in Button, and my belief is that he will help the team get over small issues, eliminate mistakes, and fuel a deep desire in everyone onthe team to succeed.

[raymondu999]

If Perez comes out and slaps him around on the track, Button will have no choice but to take on the 'mentor' role simply to limit damage. Button is under huge pressure now, it's not like against Hamilton who was the clear number 1. Personally, I think McLaren will take a cautious approach to letting Button design the car. Perez is raw and if they can hone him, Button could be in big trouble.

I personally think that McLaren probably see it as another year like 2002. An old, outgoing ex-Williams top driver (DC/Button) mentoring a new young hotshoot from Sauber (Raikkonen/Perez) who will be their future championship spearhead. While Button is probably a driver I'd rate higher than DC, I don't rate Perez nearly as good as I rate DC/Button, let alone Raikkonen/Hamilton/Alonso/Vettel