Jenson Button believes that no racer is spared from \u201cinsecurities\u201d creeping in, not even Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n
Button said the same thing for seven-time world champion and F1 icon Michael Schumacher, as he pointed to a refreshing openness on the topic from reigning world champion Lando Norris over recent years.<\/p>\n
Jenson Button discusses Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen insecurities<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Button reached the Formula 1 summit as world champion in 2009 as part of the legendary Brawn GP underdog story.<\/p>\n Yet, despite being a world champion, and winner of 15 grands prix, Button says all racers carry a shared drawback.<\/p>\n That includes, says Button, the most successful Formula 1 driver of all-time, his former teammate, Lewis Hamilton<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAs drivers, we\u2019re flawed. We are insecure,\u201d said Button on the Beyond the Grid podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019ll go for any driver. When I heard Lewis Hamilton on the radio last year in the Ferrari, when he asks a question, and they don\u2019t come back to him, and he\u2019s like, \u2018Have I done something wrong?\u2019 It\u2019s like, you\u2019re a seven-time world champion. The confidence you should have is out of this world.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, you know, insecurities creep in.\u201d<\/p>\n Button said he has seen many drivers with the necessary talent \u201cfail\u201d because they are \u201cin a really dark place\u201d mentally.<\/p>\n He therefore praised the approach of Lando Norris, who has not shied away from being open about his past struggles with mental health.<\/p>\n \u201cYou forget what you\u2019ve achieved, and you just think about that last session,\u201d said Button. \u201cYou\u2019re like, \u2018I\u2019m not good enough. I was two tenths behind my teammate.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s crazy, and the pressure you put yourself under, it\u2019s enormous.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why you see so many drivers fail in the sport. Even though they have the talent, mentally, they\u2019re just in a really dark place.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard it from many drivers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think of it as a weakness, so we don\u2019t talk about it. And that\u2019s what amazed me with Lando, the way he\u2019s been outspoken over the last couple of years on mental health. Really, really good, and I think that gives you a lot of strength.\u201d<\/p>\n Button was asked whether he believes even Michael Schumacher \u2013 who sits alongside Hamilton as the sport\u2019s only seven-time champions \u2013 also had these insecurities.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I do,\u201d he confirmed.<\/p>\n It was put to Button that Schumacher\u2019s public persona was one of \u2018great confidence.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Button replied, before adding: \u201cThere\u2019s certain riders in MotoGP that I\u2019ve thought, \u2018He comes across as a bit arrogant,\u2019 but it\u2019s not. They just don\u2019t want to let anyone in.<\/p>\n \u201cThey know they have insecurities, and they don\u2019t want to let people in, which is the biggest issue, because then you never get over those insecurities.\u201d<\/p>\n Schumacher\u2019s former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt recently revealed that the F1 icon\u2019s public persona was just a front to protect the \u201cshy\u201d person<\/a> that he was.<\/p>\n Todt also shared a story of Schumacher heading to Ferrari\u2019s Fiorano test track for confirmation that he was still good enough.<\/p>\n Button was asked whether Max Verstappen, the driver regarded by many as the best of his generation, also battles insecurities.<\/p>\n More on Max Verstappen from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \u2018Can happen to anyone\u2019 \u2013 Big Max Verstappen hazard spotted ahead of N\u00fcrburgring 24<\/a><\/p>\n N\u00fcrburgring 24 Hours qualifying: Max Verstappen\u2019s key role in row two success<\/a><\/p>\n This is a driver who, last year, claimed that he would have had the title secured, and sooner, had he been driving the impressive McLaren MCL39.<\/p>\n \u201cYes. I still think there\u2019s an insecurity there,\u201d said Button of Verstappen.<\/p>\n Verstappen is in action this weekend at the N\u00fcrburgring 24 Hours, ahead of returning to F1 matters at the Canadian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n