Jenson Button has urged current McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton to stick with the outfit in 2013 and beyond amid reports the 27-year-old is looking to leave.
Hamilton’s contract expires at the end of the current season and there has been much talk about where he may go if he chooses to leave.
With Red Bull confirming Mark Webber alongside Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso reportedly vetoing the Brit at Ferrari after a troubled year together in 2007, it leaves just Lotus and Mercedes as viable candidates.
Button believes McLaren remains his best option for success, despite having only achieved one title in the six years Hamilton has been with the Woking squad.
“Lewis is the one who has the option of moving or not – although I heard Ron [Dennis] say some interesting comments this week – but this place is like home to Lewis.
“He has been here since the start of his career and it is a massive change to go somewhere else,” said Button. “I have done it a couple of times. Sometimes it is good for you to make that change, and it is up to Lewis, but from my point of view, it doesn’t seem like it would be the right thing to do.”
When asked if he would like Hamilton to remain his team-mate next season, Button replied: “Yes. It is pretty simple. You want to do a better job than your team-mate over a race weekend, that is what we all want to do, but you have got to have a competitive team-mate as well.
“He is definitely the quickest team-mate I have had,” he added. “I have raced some pretty good team-mates. I have raced with two world champions now, but they are quite different in their demeanour and the way they work with the team, but I think the last three years have been great.
“It is good to have good competition. The days you get beaten by your team-mate, you have to say congratulations because it was a great job – but the days you do beat your team-mate when he is that competitive, it does give you an extra smile after the race and that extra good feeling. So it is important to have a competitive team-mate.”
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