A third win of the season is in the offing though and while most home drivers often claim the home support will lift them up, Hamilton can also back that up with form at the
Silverstone. This was particularly evident last year when he introduced himself to the British stage for the first time with a mesmerising double win in GP2 – his three abreast passing move at Becketts arguably topping anything his
Formula 1 ‘superiors’ produced that weekend, or even possibly that season.
“I certainly had fun here last year as you can really push the limits. That weekend with GP2 last year is something I will never forget; the response from the crowd was like nothing I had ever experienced before and I can’t wait to get back out on track.”
Another popular driver for the British crowd in the past,
Fernando Alonso has revealed a slightly sour side of him recently that has not played too well amongst those Brits who supported him at
Renault. Still, Alonso’s own performances mirror this because while the pace to match Hamilton is certainly there, the consistency doesn’t seem to be – and that is the quality that arguably took Alonso to those two world titles.
Magny-Cours was a case point, although in fairness much of that was out of his control. His tussle with
Nick Heidfeld probably said more about Heidfeld’s sheer defensive skills than it did about Alonso’s failure to overtake soon enough, but seventh is hardly a result he was pleased with.
Indeed, while Silverstone is a strong circuit for Alonso and he won there last year, if the Spaniard does not have the entire team focus on him – which he is unlikely to do so this weekend – he will have to dig deep within himself to deny the pretender to his throne on the most crucial psychological stage possible.
