This would've been before he started winning in last year's BrawnGP car. It was also before he showed tremendous courage to move into Hamilton's team, alongside him - even Alonso wouldn't do something is ballsy as that. It was also before he won 2 races earlier this season and led Hamilton after the opening 4 races.
When a driver has done all of the above in the last 15 months, it is difficult not to give him credit.
My word thats some sucking up, Brawn had the best car by a mile early season with a design simply put that no one else had thought to do within the rules, they had a huge advantage and he won races. AS the car was caught by others, he wasn't even close to the best driver, Hamilton with still a worse car outscored him in the second half of the season IIRC, despite the Brawn still having a pretty large advantage over him.
As for courage, to join a team with more money, after Brawn had rather already shot their load, got lucky and clearly showed almost the least developement throughout the year in terms of car speed as almost every other main contended improved hugely throughout the year, if they'd maintained their developement as well they'd have been as good. Brawn got VERY lucky, and just weren't as good a team. The safe money was on Red Bull, McClaren and ferrari pulling it out and being the best cars again this year....... shockingly thats what happened. He also took a huge paycut to stay at Brawn last year didn't he, so he also likely got a massive massive pay increase to move to McClaren, and as he's spent much of his career being a not particularly good driver at a not particularly good team, or 5, and not particularly well paid it actually made the most sense to secure a new long term contract with a new top team WHILE he was the champion as that would get him the most cash.
Courage, to take a big pay day, yeah, courage?
As for the first 4 races, he didn't show Hamilton's pace at all, a couple dodgey moments, a dodgey decision IIRC to go out to late in a wet qualifying meant Hamilton was way down. Button's first win down to Hamilton/Webber horrible tire decision, in NO WAY down to Button's fantastic driving or matching Hamilton's pace. The race where button's "great tactics" on changing tires was simply being so slow, being so easily passed by Hamilton that he had no other option but to try a new set of tires again, to me doesn't suggest anything but luck.
Thats the thing luck is temporary, good and bad luck. Hamiltons bad luck early season with a few wrong tactical choices stopped happening, and Button's few lucky tactical choices stopped happening and he's now drifting further and further away and looking less competitive in terms of skill and ability to overtake or dominate a race than any of the other top 6 drivers. Frankly Kubica with a better car is putting more racing together.
The simple fact that Button has gotten repeatedly stuck behind slower cars that Hamilton doesn't have problems overtaking suggests whose better.
