MOTOR SPORT FORMULA ONE:JENSON BUTTON described his McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton yesterday as a "pit-bull terrier" after the one-two by the British drivers in Sunday's compelling Chinese Grand Prix. But if that is the case, Button is the famously intelligent border collie of the track.

It has been the more experienced and thoughtful Button, who relies less on team orders to shape his strategy, who has been the more successful of the two in the first four races. The former champion Niki Lauda said last night: “The most intelligent and the fastest driver won.”

Button won for the second time in three races to take the lead in the battle for the title and the growing rivalry between the sport’s most recent world champions is becoming the talk of the pit-lane. As Hamilton headed to South Africa for sponsorship work Button, who is taking a few days off in Thailand, said: “Lewis has had some amazing races to watch. He’s doing a great job and I think we’re both doing a fantastic job. It’s good to have a team-mate who’s that competitive. The guy will never give up. He’s like a pit-bull. He is going to fight until the end and I love having a team-mate who’s like that. He’s amazingly quick. He’s an exceptional driver.

“That’s also nice because we push each other very hard and we are going to be pushing each other very hard this year. It’s shown over the last few races. We haven’t really had a race together, except for this one, at the end. But we weren’t racing from the start to the end.”

When Button, the reigning world champion, joined McLaren at the end of last season most people thought he would be dominated by the 2008 champion Hamilton, who has been with the Woking-based team since he was a boy. While Button’s driving has been smooth, even serene, like his private life, Hamilton’s recent months and races have been more eventful and sometimes stressful.

After the race on Sunday Button was surrounded by his father, his girlfriend, his manager and his physio, as well as the Woking team; Hamilton does not have a manager and appears to have fallen out with his father. Button added: “Working with Lewis has been good so far. We’ve both got a lot of experience. I’ve got more experience in Formula One of good and bad times. But Lewis has also had some very good times and also some pretty bad times.

“We get along very well. We both understand that we want to beat each other but first of all we have to work together to improve this car and to get it up to where the Red Bulls are. We want to fight for the championship between ourselves. We don’t want to be fighting for fifth and sixth. It’s been a very good relationship and it’s working well so far.” While Hamilton remains the more instinctive driver, and one who could wring a performance from a steam roller, it has often been forgotten that Button, too, can be sensationally fast, although it is more important for him that the car is well set-up and balanced. Both drivers, encouraged by their divorced or separated fathers, started driving at eight and enjoyed equally brilliant karting careers. But then Hamilton came under the wing of Ron Dennis at McLaren while Button had to drive some dogs of cars before working his way to the top.

“I’m a very confident person and I wouldn’t be in this position if I wasn’t,” said Button. “It’s very important for the drivers to push for improvements within the team. You need to be a leader and keep everyone positive. I won the world championship with the first car I was given that was good enough to win races.”

Button was obviously hurt to be written off by those who thought Hamilton would overwhelm him at Woking. “When you come to a team where a driver’s been for a long time, spent his whole Formula One career with and won the world championship with, it’s never going to be easy,” he said. “But sometimes we should sit back and watch and enjoy instead of speaking out aloud too much. It might be true in the future, you never know. I don’t know. But I feel happy with what’s happening now.

“It’s the best time of my life, so far. You can write that as big as you want. I also know it’s not going to be a walk in the park for the next 15 races. I’m very happy with my private life. And it’s good to see a smile on the old man’s face as well.”

Hamilton, likewise, looked far from downcast as he left for Johannesburg. He said: “It is good fun, a race like that, especially when you get a result. I drove my heart out – I always do – but in the last couple of races I have been able to excel. I feel I have had great races but he has taken the right decisions and taken the easier route. I have had the harder route and got good results but hopefully soon I will take the easier route.”

Guardian Service