Button and Hamilton can go at each other: McLaren boss

McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have been allowed to fight each other for a better finish in the remaining races of the season, even if it costs the team the championship title.

European press agencies have quoted McLaren team boss Jonathan Neale as saying that back-to-back champions ought to be left alone to fight battles on the track, a statement that drew appreciation from not just McLaren fans but avid followers of Formula One and racing experts. "When we were in Canada we let them get on with it and had a coming together. It's risky but when you have back-to-back world champions, you have to respect they are the ones there in the moment," Neale was quoted as saying by the Mirror. "I believe Lewis and Jenson are both driving better as a result of having each other in the team and being allowed to run like that (to win races)," he added.

McLaren is currently on 280 points, 103 points behind championship leaders Red Bull. With three wins in the last five races, the team has already declared its intentions of catching up with the current leaders, clear.