British Grand Prix preview

The British Grand Prix weekend of 2006 seemed to mark a changing of the guard for UK motorsport.

The nation's big hope Jenson Button had started the year hoping to challenge for the title with Honda, but after a promising opening things had deteriorated to the extent that he qualified 19th at home and ended his afternoon in the gravel before half-distance, having spun off on his own leaking oil.

But it was still a weekend for patriotic celebration, as a rising young Brit named Lewis Hamilton dominated Saturday's GP2 race, then surged from eighth on the reserved grid to win the sprint round, producing an almost unbelievable three-abreast pass into Becketts along the way.

It seemed clear where this was heading: Button's moment in the spotlight was over, he had his chance, hadn't won anything, and would spend the twilight of his career as another veteran in the midfield.

Hamilton was a star in the ascendant, the man who would surely electrify Formula 1 and carry British colours back to the top of not only the podium, but the championship table.

And for two seasons, that is exactly what transpired.

But now the roles have been reversed again.

F1 rarely offers second chances, but thanks to the incredible coincidence of circumstances that saw a radical regulation change happen just as Honda finally got its staff line-up right, and while McLaren was pushing itself to the limit to fight for the 2008 title, it's now Hamilton who is desperately scraping around for points, and Button who is looking for a home victory.

The crowd never gave up on Jenson, but it was clear who the majority of the spectators were there to cheer in recent years.

Until it rained last year, though, Hamilton's Silverstone F1 form was not sparkling.

He had to go light to get pole in 2007 then slipped to a quiet third in the race, and was only fourth on the grid last year following a messy qualifying session.

But when the clouds opened on race day, Hamilton roused the sodden spectators with the finest drive of his career so far – making his rivals look amateurish as he lapped several seconds faster than everyone else and won by a minute.

Twelve months on, Lewis desperately needs rain in order to have half a chance of achieving something at Silverstone.

McLaren's weak spot is fast corners – and Silverstone is comprised of little else.

That means even getting into the points might require Hamilton to produce superhuman efforts comparable to last year's epic win.

The 2008 race could have seen a British one-two, for both Honda drivers made an inspired switch from intermediates to full wets when the downpour became torrential at half-distance.

Rubens Barrichello used that strategy to fly to third, which would have been second but for a fuel rig problem.

But Button was substantially faster than his team-mate on the same plan, only to crash out.

That error, like several others in the period, happened because the Honda was so awful that Button pushed too hard when he did get a tiny sniff of a result.

No need to be so over-anxious now, for he knows that this year he will almost certainly have the fastest car on the grid.

Barrichello is optimistic that Silverstone could be the place where he finally turns the inter-team tables given his fine record at the track, while Red Bull hopes that its package will be better than ever around the British venue"s ultra-quick bends.

That's all theory and precedent though, and so far this year both have been pretty irrelevant as Button has turned up and won as he pleased.

He was ecstatic to get a Monaco victory under his belt, and a Silverstone win would surely mean even more – not just because it's on home turf, but because he would potentially be the final F1 winner at the track.

Bernie Ecclestone is adamant that whatever happens with Donington Park's revamp and finances, this weekend is Silverstone's F1 swansong and that there is no way back for the circuit that has been under so much pressure for so many years.

It has its critics – the facilities could be better, the track is fast but very hard to pass on, and there are some soulless aspects.

But it has tradition on its side, the drivers adore its high-speed challenge, and it is a ready-to-go F1 venue, something that Donington is not at present.

If this really is it for Silverstone, and right now the signs are all pointing that way, then it would be entirely appropriate if someone followed in the tradition of Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, David Coulthard and Hamilton himself and gave the crowd a home winner to cheer – and Button is the man with by far the best chance to do that.