Button on home ground

Silverstone is one of the fastest tracks on the F1 calendar, and always awash with the many British fans of the Honda Racing F1 Team and, of course, local man Jenson Button. 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 British Grand Prix is my home race and it’s a very emotional weekend for me,” says Jenson Button. “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.”

More than being in front of his home fans, Button finds the fast sweeps of Silverstone a real thrill. “It’s incredibly fast with a long complex of high-speed corners which quite literally take 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.”

With a new specification engine and after a successful test last week at Barcelona, the Honda Racing F1 Team is pulling out all the stops in its desire to produce a good result in what’s always a special race for all involved in the locally-based outfit. “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,” points out sporting director Gil de Ferran. “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.”