Honda to Silverstone with new engine

The British Grand Prix, round eight of the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship, takes places this weekend at the historic Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, UK. As the first of this season's two home races for the Honda Racing F1 Team, the British Grand Prix is one of the highlights of the season, with the team's Operations Centre based only eight miles away in nearby Brackley.

Also a firm favourite with the team's race drivers, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, the Silverstone circuit is one of the fastest tracks on the F1 calendar, and the grandstands will be packed with the many British fans of the team and Jenson. This weekend's race, coinciding with the start of the World Cup in Germany and England's first match, will give the patriotic crowds something extra to cheer about.

The Honda Racing F1 Team completed its preparations for the British Grand Prix in Barcelona last week. An intensive three-day test, finalising the car set-up and tyre choice for the Silverstone race, was completed on Friday with the team now heading up to Silverstone to prepare for the race weekend.

"Silverstone is just a fantastic circuit. It's a high-speed track with some challenging corners, and although overtaking can be a bit difficult around here, it's a track that I really enjoy driving. I've spent a great deal of time both testing and racing at Silverstone since I was young, so it holds some special memories for me. Of course the most special of those is my win from pole position back in 2003. We had a solid test in Barcelona last week to prepare for Silverstone, looking specifically at the car set-up and the tyres for this race, so I'm feeling fairly comfortable going into the weekend."

"The British Grand Prix is my home race and it's a very emotional weekend for me. I'm very patriotic and having the support of all the British fans, to hear them chanting your name, is such a fantastic feeling. Silverstone is a very special circuit, it's incredibly fast with a long complex of high-speed corners which quite literally takes your breath away. The change of direction is so quick there that you really feel the speed of the car. You need good aerodynamics at Silverstone so this is where all the hard work in the wind tunnel before the race pays off. We've also done a lot of track testing at Barcelona, which is a high-speed circuit, to prepare for this race. We're aiming to get both cars in the points this weekend, it's going to be tough for us as we're just not on front-running pace at the moment, but I'm sure we will get the maximum possible out of the car."

"This is Jenson's home race as well as a home race for the team, since our Brackley base is just a few minutes down the road. Needless to say we all enjoy this Grand Prix and a lot of our team members and their families will be in attendance. For Jenson in particular this will be a highly charged weekend. We come to Silverstone hoping to have a better race than in Monaco. We have done a lot of set-up work in preparation for this weekend bearing in mind the special high speed requirements for this track. "

"We have an upgrade on the engine for Silverstone which will give the drivers some more torque and power as we continue the battle to close the gap to the front runners."

Silverstone, Northamptonshire

Race Distance 60 laps
Circuit Length 3.194 miles (5.141 kms)

The historic Silverstone circuit, a former airfield, is one of the few remaining venues where Formula One cars can really be unleashed. As a result, it is still one of the highlights of the calendar which was been well demonstrated by some great races in recent years.

The circuit itself is a thrilling drive, although there is some criticism over a lack of passing places. However, overtaking moves are possible into Vale and Abbey, although cars tend to lose downforce following each other closely through the preceding fast corners. The entry to Becketts is the quickest corner on the track, a 290kph bend, while the slowest section is the 80kph Vale left-hander that leads directly into Club.