By Phil Huff
March 7 2007

Damon Hill has advised Jenson Button to leave Honda and get himself in to a championship winning car, suggesting that Honda Racing F1 aren't capable of putting up a title challenge. "There is a bit missing with Honda," Hill explained. "Jenson has put all his eggs in one basket, he's number one in that team. There is a lot of hope there but eventually your loyalty has to be to your career. He has to ask some serious questions about how he gets to be in a regular, front-running F1 car.

"The clock is ticking," Hill reminded Button. "A grand prix driver has a window. Jenson has done a lot of grands prix. I don't believe Honda will be a championship-winning team this year. Therefore, if he wants to be champion, which I believe he does, and he is good enough, he has to have a plan for the next few years."

Jenson Button has committed to Honda Racing F1 for the next two years, with Honda having an option on the Briton's services beyond that, following his well publicised contract wrangles with both Honda and Williams.

While Hill backed Jenson's decision to extricate himself from the Williams contract, he sees the destination as less than desirable, and suggests that Button ought to look out for himself rather than agreeing long term deals with a mid-table team.

"A driver has to be ruthless," suggests Hill. "You are on your own. This idea that a driver is part of a team is just marketing spiel. It is important to get a team around you, but everyone understands that it's about you. You are the driver. And you want to get to the top."

Damon, president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, was speaking at Silverstone, talking up the chances of the British talent in Formula One, and lavishing particular praise on McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

"There is a middle ground in F1 where people disappear. I won't name the teams but they are always there, yet never at the top. Lewis has gone straight into a team with a track record, like I did at Williams. They knew how to win races. Not many do. McLaren do, Ferrari do, Renault do, Honda don't."