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Jenson Button hails Lewis Hamilton as one of the fastest drivers in F1 history

Hamilton poised to draw level with Senna for all-time wins and consecutive poles if he prevails this weekend in Singapore

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Jenson Button has called Lewis Hamilton one of the quickest ever drivers in Formula One ahead of this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.

Jenson Button has hailed Lewis Hamilton as one of the "quickest ever" drivers in the history of F1.

The pair were team-mates for three seasons at McLaren before Hamilton joined Mercedes in a move which, although considered a gamble at the time, has proved to be a career-defining masterstroke.

After clinching last year's world championship in the season-concluding 'Abu Double' finale, Hamilton already has one hand on this year's title after streaking 53 points clear of the summit with back-to-back victories since F1's summer break.

Hamilton's surge clear of the pack has been founded on a blistering turn of speed in qualifying. Beaten by Nico Rosberg on Saturdays in 2014, the first season in which he had been out-qualified by a team-mate in F1, Hamilton has turned the tables on the German in devastating fashion this year, outpacing Rosberg in eleven of 2015's twelve qualifying session.

Another 'Saturday win' for the Englishman this weekend in Singapore would equal Ayrton Senna's all-time record for consecutive pole positions in F1 while, remarkably, victory would see Hamilton boast an identical record to the Brazilian legend with 41 wins from 161 starts. 

Little wonder that debate about Hamilton's rank in the pantheon of F1 greats is set to a reoccurring backdrop to one of the most picturesque dates on the F1 calendar.

Singapore GP talking points
Singapore GP talking points

Why a momentous weekend may await F1 in Singapore

"Lewis is extremely fast over one lap, probably one of the quickest ever," Button told Sky Sports News HQ. "He has used that massively to his advantage this year. It puts him on pole position and then because of the way the cars are and the way he can control the situation, Nico is never going past.

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"Lewis goes around at a certain speed and then two laps before the pit stop he pushes which means Nico can't have a go at him - he can't undercut him, he can't overcut him, he can't do anything."

Then McLaren team-mates Hamilton and Button are interviewed by Sky Sports News' Rachel Brookes before the 2012 British GP
Image: Then McLaren team-mates Hamilton and Button are interviewed by Sky Sports News' Rachel Brookes before the 2012 British GP

Button is one of five world champions in the field but, through no fault of his own, has been reduced to backmarker status this term in a McLaren car crippled by an underpowered Honda engine. While the veteran is regarded as one of the smoothest drivers in F1, Button's McLaren team-mate, Fernando Alonso, is still widely considered to be the pre-eminent all-round package in the sport despite almost a decade passing since the Spaniard won the second of his two championships.

While Hamilton's claim to be considered the best driver in F1 will gain extra currency if, as expected, he claims a third world title, it's his emphatic refutation of the notion, oft repeated at the start of F1's new turbo era, that Rosberg would prevail as the 'thinking man's driver' which has come to define the last eighteen months.

"Lewis has definitely improved when it comes to thinking about his race," acknowledged Button. "Last year he had reliability issues and made mistakes, which we all do, and still won the championship. This year, he is not making mistakes, and the team isn't making mistakes, and he is walking away with it."

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Where will Hamilton end his career in the list of all-time F1 greats? Who is the best driver in the sport at the moment? Have your say below...

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