Button seeks first home win at Silverstone finale

Championship leader Jenson Button will be out to show his remarkable career revival in front of the home fans on Sunday with a first win at Silverstone before the circuit bids farewell to Formula One for at least a decade.

The 29-year-old Button is looking to make it seven wins from the opening eight races by taking the checkered flag at the British Grand Prix, which will move to Donington Park in 2010 under a 10-year deal.

Before climbing this season into a Brawn GP car he calls a "monster" and building a 26-point championship lead over teammate Rubens Barrichello, the Briton had never given his home fans anything to cheer at Silverstone.

In nine previous visits, Button has finished no higher than fourth, with his last three ending in two retirements and a 10th place. Six months ago, when Honda withdrew from F1, there was a real chance that Button, with just one career victory to his name, wouldn't even find a new team.

But after a management buy-out created Brawn GP, a car that took full advantage of major aerodynamic rule changes has propelled Button to the top of the drivers' standings.

"We obviously know how lucky we are to be in this situation, but it hasn't been handed to us on a plate - we've worked hard for this," Button said. "We should all be very proud of what we've achieved, and we've done it because we not only have a quick car, but also because the team hasn't made any mistakes.

"They've been fantastic, with all of us pretty flawless so far this year, whereas other teams maybe have not been so much. They've been a little less consistent compared to us, and that's the reason why they haven't had some of the results."

This is Button's last chance to even finish on the podium at a circuit which has hosted the event for the past 22 years, having staged its first race in 1948.

"It's strange to think that this might be our last race at Silverstone," Button said. "I can't imagine not having a British Grand Prix so we'll be going all out to put on a fantastic show."

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, whose world title is slipping further from his grasp, is well aware of the stakes for Button.

"His lifelong dream is to win the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and I'm sure it will be more special for him than his win at Monaco last month," Hamilton said. "I know it was for me."

Last year's triumph seems a distant memory for Hamilton, who is struggling in 11th in the drivers' standings - winless and 52 points behind Button.

While Button has taken a decade to reach the pinnacle of the sport, winning came easily to Hamilton in his first two seasons, capturing the championship at his second attempt.

Now, though, the 24-year-old Hamilton is experiencing his lowest point since starting racing at eight.

"This year I've just not got the car," he said. "I've had to adjust from last year because it's a struggle just to get into the points.

"I'm still going to be gunning, pushing as hard as I can, all out, like I do every race. But I know I'll be midfield somewhere, which is to be expected. So from my perspective it will be great if Jenson wins. I'm egging him on, and I guess I should put some money on him."

While Brawn's Button and Barrichello occupy the top spots in the standings, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber are their closest challengers after the pair filled the other podium places behind Button in Turkey on June 7.

Nico Rosberg of Williams climbed up to seventh in the standings after a fifth-place finish in Istanbul and he is looking to build on that strong finish on Sunday.

"We have to keep scoring points at every race if we're going to make progress in the Constructors' so getting those four points was important for us," he said. "Silverstone is a great circuit, one of the few remaining tracks that really challenge a driver. It has quite a varied layout but really is dominated by the fast corners.

"Our car is much better suited to these types of circuits this year, so I'm going to Silverstone with more optimism than I did last."

AP