Likened to a pit bull by triumphant McLaren team-mate Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton is looking for a less combative way back to the top in Formula One.

Hamilton finished runner-up to world champion Button in China on Sunday, with the 25-year-old Briton yet to win this season while his compatriot has celebrated two victories in four starts for his new team.

"I feel I have had great races but he (Button) has taken the right decisions and taken the easier route," the 2008 champion said before heading to South Africa for sponsorship-related activities.

"I have had the harder route and got good results but hopefully soon I will take the easier route."

Hamilton has won plaudits for his thrilling performances in Australia, Malaysia and China but he has also made it hard for himself.

In Australia he ran into trouble with the local police when he had his Mercedes car impounded for "improper" driving off the track. He started 11th and battled for second place before ending up sixth after a late tangle with Australian Mark Webber.

Button won that race in Melbourne after making the right call on tyres.

In Malaysia, Hamilton started 20th after McLaren misjudged the weather in qualifying and scythed through the field to sixth, gaining 10 places in the space of four laps.

"Lewis's race craft this year has been fantastic, a joy to watch," former McLaren driver David Coulthard wrote in a column in the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday. "But you do still get the feeling that something is bothering him.

"Whether it is his strained relationship with his father, a hangover from his incident with the police in Melbourne, or he has been out-psyched by the level of Jenson's performance. I don't know."

Button, who jetted off for a holiday in Thailand with his girlfriend after Shanghai, is leading the championship again and has shown that he will be a real test of Hamilton's undeniable talents.

"It's the best time of my life, so far," said the 30-year-old, who won six of the first seven races with Brawn last year. "You can write that as big as you want.

"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 added.

"We are going to be pushing each other very hard this year. It's shown over the last few races, I think."