Lewis Hamilton F1 News: TEAM ORDERS Revealed After Race Win Claimed

The Formula 1 world champion has spoken about the key role of team orders involving Lewis Hamilton that could have cost him major victories.

Jenson Button’s comments come after Sunday’s exciting event. US Grand Prixwhere Charles Leclerc took victory ahead of his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz in a surprise result, giving the team a one-two in the States for the first time since 2006.

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Max Verstappen put title rival Lando Norris on the podium, but only after the McLaren star received a controversial five-second penalty after an incident between the couple in the final stages.

That result – coupled with Verstappen’s sprint victory on Saturday – saw the Dutchman leave Texas with his championship lead extended to 57 points.

McLaren creates its own problems

It was a disappointing end to the day for Norris, who has just five races left and is running out of time to rebuild the three-time champion.

His teammate Oscar Piastri also found himself far behind the leaders, finishing in fifth place, ahead of George Russell and Sergio Perez.

This was enough to maintain McLaren’s comfortable lead at the top of the standings. Constructors’ standings replacing Red Bull at the summit earlier this month.

But despite closing in on their first constructors’ title since 1998, things were far from rosy behind the scenes for the British team: rumors of tension between their young driving duo due to problems related to command orders.

With team boss Zak Brown refusing to announce who his number one driver is throughout the campaign, they have come under some criticism for failing to prioritize Norris as he chases a maiden championship. Piastri’s victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix caused a lot of controversy.

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Speaking after Sunday’s show in Texas, Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle said the team orders had caused irreparable damage to McLaren, before asking 2009 world champion Button to talk about his experiences with the team.

Button partnered Hamilton from 2010-12 and admitted a lack of team bookings could limit their chances of adding more silverware to their collection.

“We had no command orders,” he said. “I think at one point we had a team booking for one race and that was it.

“We probably would have won the World Cup if we hadn’t taken each other’s victories away.

“We won six races during the year, three in each. One of us could become world champion if the other didn’t win, but you can’t start at the beginning of the year saying, “You’re Driver A, you’re Driver B.” It just doesn’t work.

“It’s a real challenge, but the most important thing for these guys is communication, understanding before they go out to race what the deal is, that’s the most important thing.”

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