JENSON BUTTON HAS admitted to being ‘disappointed’ with McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton over a tweet that the latter sent, showing data from his and Button’s qualifying session before the Belgian Grand Prix.
While the Woking-based outfit denied that the tweet had done “much damage,” Button was none too pleased at the leak.
“I’ll say disappointed,” he revealed, when asked how he felt.
“We work so hard to improve the car and to keep things like that private.”
As well as revealing ride heights, the tweet contained braking and acceleration rates from the two drivers.
Hamilton was attempting to show the difference between a rear wing used by Button and the one he had chosen during the qualifying session. He later removed the tweet on his team’s instruction.
Button qualified in pole position and went on to win the race. Hamilton, on the other hand, only qualified seventh and crashed out in the first lap.
“I don’t think it’s for me to be angry with Lewis because it’s not a personal thing,” said the normally laid-back Button.
“The bit about him losing six tenths on the straights isn’t the bit that’s important to me because he should be gaining it back in the corners he’s got more downforce on. And I was eight tenths quicker in qualifying anyway.
“It’s more the information that we work so hard to keep secret and private, that was the thing I didn’t want to see on Twitter.”
Hamilton’s future at McLaren has been the subject of much speculation this season, with talk of a move to Ferrari refusing to go away, despite the denials of the 27-year-old.
2 McIlroys. A and B and flips and flops to suit himself and the circumstances. Would prefer if he just said the big money and attention is still in the US rather than skirt around the obvious!
@David Gaffney: But that is what he is saying. He lives in the state’s cause that’s where the money is and he’s never made a secret of that. He’s saying as good as the changes to the European tour are, they aren’t enough to entice the top players to change what they are doing. It’s overtly implied it what he said. Just cause he doesn’t blatantly state it doesn’t mean he’s skirting the question
@Phil Redmond:
Married to an American, his family is in America… The bggest payouts are in America… Totally understandable…
Shane is in the same boat… To play in the top competitions you have to play in the highest ranking tournaments…
@Cowboy Paddy: Exactly and the European tour events need to get much closer to the PGA in terms of prize money and ranking points if they want to start attracting the top players away from it. I doubt that will ever happen though. The PGA want to protect their place as the no 1 tour like anyone in their position would so any sign that the European tour are going to make any significant inroads into that they’ll up the prize money and keep the top players coming back to them
@Phil Redmond: it absolutely does mean he is skirting around it! Why not just say it. Why talk like a politician that is evasive and won’t commit!?
@David Gaffney: Non committal choker and mercenary. #136daystillmoreRorycomedygold