Hamilton proposed Button as 2010 teammate

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he proposed Jenson Button to be his 2010 teammate.

Despite previously saying he was happy to remain alongside his teammate of the past two years Heikki Kovalainen, the 2008 world champion said on Friday that he phoned boss Martin Whitmarsh with his recommendation.

"One thing you may not know is that I actually called Martin and said, 'What about Jenson?'," Hamilton told British media at the launch of the MP4-25.

"It was before they had any negotiations," said the Briton.

The information surprised the media corps, because McLaren and Button appeared to kick off their negotiations as soon as talks with Brawn began to break down after the end of the 2009 season.

"I have no input to who they pick but I asked if they had spoken to Jenson. He was the best driver available and they wanted to get the best driver possible," said Hamilton.

When asked if he knew about Hamilton's proposal, Button shook his head.

Hamilton, 25, dismissed suggestions he prefers to share a team with a less competitive driver.

"I can't win the constructors' championship on my own, so I need to have as strong a teammate as possible," he insisted.

"You want someone to push you. I had that in 2007 (with Alonso), and in 2008 Heikki pushed me at points. I've no doubt that Jenson will be hard to beat. His results last year speak for themselves," added Button.