Jenson Button said that George Russell and Kimi Antonelli is not going to be the following Lewis Hamilton versus Nico Rosberg, just because “Nico is not driving”.
This was mentioned throughout a barely awkward second which occurred inside Sky F1’s post-session protection of FP2 on the Japanese Grand Prix. Blaming Rosberg for the fireworks throughout his notorious Mercedes rivalry with Hamilton, it was a Button remark which blurred the traces between banter and unease.
Jenson Button blames Nico Rosberg for Lewis Hamilton rivalry
The early rounds of F1 2026 counsel that Mercedes, on the very least, is correct within the championship battle with each drivers. Russell received the season-opener in Melbourne, whereas Antonelli registered his first grand prix win one week later in China.
Relations between the Mercedes duo are very constructive, and so it sparked Sky F1 dialogue in Japan.
The matter was whether or not we’re going to see a Lando Norris versus Oscar Piastri type title battle, with Russell and Antonelli staying on good phrases all through F1 2026, or, will it flip unstable, like Lewis Hamilton versus Nico Rosberg did.
Mercedes began the turbo-hybrid period in dominant style. Relations between its drivers, Hamilton and Rosberg, progressively deteriorated, and ultimately exploded right into a bitter rivalry.
Rosberg ended Hamilton’s title run by lifting the 2016 World Championship. He retired from the game in a shock announcement days later.
When Button was quizzed on the kind of title struggle we might see between Russell and Antonelli, he took a shot, maybe playfully, at Rosberg, who like Button, additionally serves as a Sky pundit at choose grand prix.
Rosberg shouldn’t be on Sky F1 duties at Suzuka.
“Nico’s not driving, so that’s why that dynamic won’t ever happen again,” mentioned Button, with a smile and a quiet snigger.
Returning Sky F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham responded: “But no, I just mean in terms of like intra-team…”
At that time, Button added: “Yeah, I do know. But I believe that got here all the way down to Nico [laughs]. I might say so.
“I think they’re both quite level-headed drivers.”
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Banter, most likely, however there was an underlying feeling of awkwardness to this section.
Pinkham’s closing comment encapsulated that.
“We now know what you think of Nico. I’m sure he’s watching.”
Button was additionally a former teammate of Hamilton’s at McLaren from 2010-12.
Skip ahead to 2026, and Hamilton is getting ready to contest the Japanese Grand Prix with Ferrari, off the again of scoring his first podium with the staff in China.
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