Jenson Button vs Lewis Hamilton

2011·

Lewis Hamilton out-qualified Jenson Button 12–7 at McLaren in 2011, but Jenson Button won the races 10–9. Grid slots, finishes, points and retirements compared.

Jenson ButtonLewis Hamilton

7Qualifying12

19 shared races

10Race day9

19 shared races

270Points227

as awarded at the time

270Points (today’s rules)227

rescored 25-18-15…

Wins: 3/3
Podiums: 12/6
Poles: 0/1
Retirements: 2/3
Best finish: P1/P1
Avg. grid: 4.5/3.6

Race by race

Round-by-round comparison of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton
R	Grand Prix	Grid	Jenson Button	Lewis Hamilton	Points
1	Australian Grand Prix	4/2	P6	P2	8 / 18
2	Malaysian Grand Prix	4/2	P2	P8	18 / 4
3	Chinese Grand Prix	2/3	P4	P1	12 / 25
4	Turkish Grand Prix	6/4	P6	P4	8 / 12
5	Spanish Grand Prix	5/3	P3	P2	15 / 18
6	Monaco Grand Prix	2/9	P3	P6	15 / 8
7	Canadian Grand Prix	7/5	P1	Collision	25 / 0
8	European Grand Prix	6/3	P6	P4	8 / 12
9	British Grand Prix	5/10	Wheel nut	P4	0 / 12
10	German Grand Prix	7/2	Hydraulics	P1	0 / 25
11	Hungarian Grand Prix	3/2	P1	P4	25 / 12
12	Belgian Grand Prix	13/2	P3	Collision	15 / 0
13	Italian Grand Prix	3/2	P2	P4	18 / 12
14	Singapore Grand Prix	3/4	P2	P5	18 / 10
15	Japanese Grand Prix	2/3	P1	P5	25 / 10
16	Korean Grand Prix	3/1	P4	P2	12 / 18
17	Indian Grand Prix	4/5	P2	P7	18 / 6
18	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	3/2	P3	P1	15 / 25
19	Brazilian Grand Prix	3/4	P3	Gearbox	15 / 0

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton in other seasons

Other seasons in which Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were teammates
Season	Team	Matchup	Quali	Race	Points
2012	McLaren	Jenson Button vs Lewis Hamilton	5–15	9–11	188–190
2010	McLaren	Jenson Button vs Lewis Hamilton	6–13	7–12	214–240

Jenson Button’s career Lewis Hamilton’s career McLaren 2011 season All teammate battles

How these numbers are calculated

Only races both drivers started are counted. Entries that did not qualify, did not pre-qualify or were withdrawn are excluded, as is the Indianapolis 500 of 1950–1960.
Qualifying is compared on grid position rather than session times. Session-by-session qualifying data only exists from 1994, while grid position is recorded for over 99% of entries right back to 1950 — including every race of the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
On race day the driver classified ahead takes the round. If neither was classified, the one who completed more laps is credited; if both retired on the same lap it is scored as a tie and excluded from the tally.
Points are those awarded at the time and include sprint races from 2021. The second points row rescores every round under the current system so seasons from different eras can be compared.
These are points scored across the season, which up to 1990 is not the same as the championship total: only a driver’s best results counted towards the title. In 1988 Alain Prost outscored Ayrton Senna 105 to 94 and still lost the championship. Theseason page has the final standings.