F1 leader Jenson Button seeks 1st British Grand Prix win in Silverstone’s finale

Button seeks 1st home win at Silverstone finale

SILVERSTONE, England — Formula One points leader Jenson Button hopes to show his remarkable career revival to the home fans Sunday with a first win at the British Grand Prix.

The 29-year-old Button is looking to make it seven wins from the opening eight races by taking the checkered flag at Silverstone, an event that 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 lead in the standings over teammate Rubens Barrichello, the Briton had never given his home fans anything to cheer about 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 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.

“It has been a dream start to the season,” Button said Thursday. “It’s obviously a big chance for me and for the whole team. Coming here last year we didn’t expect to be getting points, let alone fighting for a podium position and definitely not the top step of the podium.”

“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 finish on the podium at a circuit that 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.”

In the worst case scenario, Button would still leave the central England circuit with a 16-point lead.

“It’s a very emotional weekend for a British driver,” he said. “It would be very special to win my home Grand Prix. But to not put pressure on myself, the great thing is that I will leave this race still leading.”

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, the 24-year-old Hamilton is experiencing his lowest point since he began racing at 8 years old.

“I think Jenson understands what I am going through and how tough it is when you don’t particularly have the right package beneath you to be able to show what you can do,” Hamilton said with Button alongside him.

“But when you are in that position you just maximize it. So all these years Jenson has been maximizing what he had in the past and now he is maximizing what he has now.”

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.

“There are still a lot of races left and everything can happen,” Vettel said. “It would be totally wrong to give up. We are extremely motivated, focused and willing to fight.”