‘There were awkward, uncomfortable silences’ — Jenson Button says he was ‘never friends’ with ex-F1 teammate Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton was “a bit weird” off the track, according to Jenson Button.Getty Images

Even though there are many similarities between British racing driver Jenson Button and his former McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton, they “were never really friends.”

Button won the Formula One world championship title in 2009, a year before he joined the McLaren team where he would spend three years alongside Hamilton.

In his new book “Life at the Limit,” Button lifts the lid on his relationship with the 32-year-old and says “off the track” things with Hamilton were “a bit weird.”

“As people, we had a lot in common. There was our shared karting history, not to mention that his Dad was a customer of my Dad. And, unlike a lot of drivers in Formula One, neither of us came from an especially wealthy background; we’d achieved what we had through talent and a lot of grafting.

“When we spent time together it was nice, and he’d always strike up a conversation with Dad, and we’d hang out a bit. But at the same time there were an awful lot of awkward and uncomfortable silences, and often I’d think: ‘What’s going unsaid here?'”

Button added that “despite our similarities, we were never really friends — I don’t think that I was to his taste, if I’m honest.”

Regardless, Button still reserved high praise for the three-time Formula 1 world champion. “He’s matured, become a bit of a statesman and a great representative of the sport.

Lewis Hamilton is on course for a fourth world championship title.Mark Thompson / Getty Images

“He’s built on all that talent and hard work and he’s a more rounded character as a result.”

Hamilton is on course for a fourth world championship as he leads the 2017 Formula One standings with eight victories and 306 points.