Jenson Button was quick to criticise team mate Sergio Perez after the pair made contact during a fraught battle in Bahrain.
Button was heard complaining to the team during the race, and afterwards Martin Whitmarsh told the Mexican that he had exceeded the limits by touching Jenson.
“I’ve raced with many team mates over the years, and obviously with quite an aggressive team mate in Lewis,” said Button. “But I’m not used to driving down the straight and then your team mate coming alongside and wiggling his wheels at you and banging at wheels at 300km/h. That’s things you do at karting, but normally you grow out of it. But obviously that’s not the case with Checo.
“Most of the racing was clean out there, which was great to see, and I’m sure great for TV. The only person that wasn’t really was Checo. I’m all for racing wheel to wheel, it’s great, but you don’t normally expect at the end of the straight for your team mate to bang into you when you’re going in a straight line. That was a bit unusual, and something I’ve not experienced before.
“The good thing is he got some good points for the team, that’s the important thing. But soon something serious will happen, so he has to calm down. He’s extremely quick and he did a great job today, but some of it is unnecessary, and an issue when you’re doing those speeds.”
He added: “Maybe this is the way we go racing now, but it’s not the way I want to go racing.
“He touched me from behind and he touched me from the side going in a straight line at 300 km/h. That’s dangerous. I’ve been with some very aggressive team mates in the past, but I’ve never had that.”
Button said his own race was ruined by excessive tyre wear which forced him to make four pit stops.
“I had problems with the rear tyres, I don’t know why, but I couldn’t look after the rear tyres as well as Checo. It was tricky, and I had that for the whole race really, I was really struggling with that. It seems that when it’s a temperature thing I’m not able to look after the tyres so well.
“Normally that’s a strong point, but I remember here last year struggling with the same thing. Obviously our car is not strong on traction, and with me behind the wheel, it wasn’t today. Not a great race for me, but good for the team to get some points.”
Adam Cooper F1 
After watching the race for a second time (BBC highlights) it became clearer that it was in fact Button that was the more aggressive driver. Yes Perez hit him from behind, but Button was so slow on that corner it almost looked like he was brake-testing him. Button also drove Perez clean off the track.
I think Button has to come out this aggressively in the media, because from my point of view, both the incidents were his fault. Coming out of T4 (I think?) then he didn’t seem to accelerate at all. It’s not exactly a brake test but it’s a pretty similar concept, was hardly a surprise Perez put his foot down. Also on the straight, Perez didn’t seem to be moving around any more than Button.
Button has got away with it in the past (a la Montreal – where he completely closed Hamilton off on the start line, and because it was Hamilton wasn’t blamed himself), and he certainly wasn’t pulling any punches in Turkey 2010 after Vettel and Webber took each other out.
What a looser this Jenson. He should be more of a team player and less of a sorry ass looser.
I think this race is that turning point where Perez gets the upper hand over Button this year…
So, first of all McLaren want him to get his elbows out, then Button calls him too aggressive because Perez was clearly faster. Interesting! Also, Brundle said in commentary that when Button was moaning about Perez banging wheels with him, it was in fact Button who moved over on Perez, and that’s certainly what it looked like from what I could see. And who ran whom off the track? Yes, Button ran Perez off the track.
I think the interview with Whitmarsh on the NBCSports post-race was quite telling. He was obviously pleased that the little psychological game they had played on Perez last week had paid off in spades. I’m wondering if they have known Perez is better than even he, himself, realizes and goaded him into performing. Whitmarsh straight-up said, “We don’t have team orders.” Which to me, is code to Perez for “The number 1 spot on this team is yours for the taking. . . .. . if we had a number 1 driver, of course. But, if we had one: go for it!”
Quess Jenson doesn’t like his team mate being faster than him. Although it never bothered him in the past.