Lewis Hamilton could match Ayrton Senna’s record of eight consecutive pole positions this weekend, he could also equal the three-time champions 41 race win tally, leading to praise from former team-mate Jenson Button.
The 2009 champion has hailed Hamilton as “one of the quickest” drivers in F1 history, particularly over one lap, as proven by his qualifying record this season which has seen him on pole in 11 of the 12 races.
“Lewis is extremely fast over one lap, probably one of the quickest ever,” Button told Sky Sports.
“He has used that massively to his advantage this year. It puts him on pole position and then because of the way the cars are and the way he can control the situation, Nico is never going past.
“Lewis goes around at a certain speed and then two laps before the pit stop he pushes which means Nico can’t have a go at him – he can’t undercut him, he can’t overcut him, he can’t do anything.”
Hamilton was considered quick but many had questioned his mind, often labelling Rosberg as the “smarter racer”, but that’s changed this season according to Button.
“Lewis has definitely improved when it comes to thinking about his race,” he added. “Last year he had reliability issues and made mistakes, which we all do, and still won the championship. This year, he is not making mistakes, and the team isn’t making mistakes, and he is walking away with it.”
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