Jackie Stewart: Button Made the Wrong Call!

First he warned Jenson Button not to leave his position within the Brawn GP organization – soon to become Silver Arrows F1 – for a place at Woking, now he sticks by his argument and publicly tells the reigning F1 champion that he did a mistake when going for the McLaren Mercedes money. Yes, we are talking about triple-crowned F1 champion Sir Jackie Stewart.

Even if they do prepare him a title-winning car next year, McLaren will most certainly make it more difficult for Button to outscore fellow countryman Lewis Hamilton. Two British champions driving for a British team is surely a dream come true for most of the UK racing fans, but it won't keep sparks from igniting during Button's stay at McLaren – as we believe Hamilton will be there for life.

“It will be difficult for him to take on Lewis Hamilton. It's like walking into the lion's den, because Lewis has had three years with McLaren now. He has it his way. He's already disposed of one driver that came in there in Alonso. Fernando couldn't cut it against Lewis Hamilton, and I think that Lewis will want to retain his position of prominence in that team,” Stewart told BBC Radio Five, according to Autosport.

In exchange, if he had kept his racing spot at Brawn GP, he would have benefited from extensive knowledge of his team – where he has raced for the past 7 years – and, probably, the No 1 status in Ross Brawn's eyes, argued Stewart.

“If I was Jenson, I would've wanted to do a deal with Brawn - because I know the culture of the Brawn team, I have high respect for Ross Brawn, I know the mechanics.”

“There's a totally different culture in McLaren, something that he might never have experienced before. They have a very clinical culture which doesn't have the emotion or the drive in the same passionate way that Brawn would have had with him there as the reigning world champion,” concluded Stewart.