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McLaren duo baulk at Hill’s ’tortoise and hare’ analogy

"We will find out later on in the year I guess"

By GMM

6 July 2010 - 16:45

McLaren’s British drivers on Tuesday responded to a claim their battle for team supremacy can be likened to an Aesop’s Fable.

Recently, Lewis Hamilton’s use of the Fable "sour grapes" was misinterpreted by the Spanish press as his accusation that Fernando Alonso is jealous of the 2008 world champion.

And on Monday, 1996 world champion Damon Hill used another of Aesop’s Fables to describe Hamilton and his teammate Jenson Button — ’The Tortoise and the Hare’.

Although Button takes the role of the tortoise in Hill’s eyes, it was interpreted as a compliment. "He (Button) is not at his maximum the whole time," Hill said.

"Will Lewis mature and be circumspect when he needs to be? I don’t know if that’s his style."

Hamilton told reporters on Tuesday: "I don’t really have a reaction.

"It’s always very, very interesting to hear past world champions talk about present drivers and world champions, and then it’s interesting to see how it plays out and see whether it’s true or false or whether they actually know what they are talking about or not.

"We will find out later on in the year I guess," said the 2007 world champion.

Button distanced himself from the suggestion he can be likened to a tortoise.

"Those are his words not mine. But if I win the championship then I don’t care. I know I won the championship last year because I was quick," he said.