If Caterham’s Mike Gascoyne was in the market for a McLaren driver, he would sign Jenson Button.<\/p>\n
The green-clad team’s technical boss, Gascoyne, was at Renault in 2002 when it was decided to oust Button in favour of Fernando Alonso.<\/p>\n
But a decade on, Gascoyne says the tables have now turned, as 2009 world champion Button now heads the 2012 points standings for McLaren.<\/p>\n
“We weren’t wrong (to replace Button), Fernando won two titles very quickly, but Jenson has developed into a hell of a driver,” Gascoyne is quoted by the UK Express newspaper.<\/p>\n
He said Button’s advantage over Lewis Hamilton, his highly rated teammate, is his mental strength.<\/p>\n
“The difference right now is that Jenson can handle it when Lewis wins, but Lewis really struggles when Jenson does,” said Gascoyne.<\/p>\n
Another of Button’s strengths, he explained, is his smooth driving style, which better conserves Pirelli’s highly-degrading tyres.<\/p>\n
“Lewis is struggling to match that and then with his attacking style, the more aggression he puts in the harder it gets for him in the race,” said Gascoyne.<\/p>\n
Comparing today’s Button with the 22-year-old of 2002, Gascoyne concluded: “Jenson is still the same nice guy, same talent, but mentally so very strong.\u00a0 Right now, Jenson would be the man for me.”<\/p>\n
In an interview with Spanish agency EFE, Pedro de la Rosa summed up Button with the words “finesse and intelligence”.<\/p>\n
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