Great expectations for Hamilton ahead of British GP

By Elmar Dreher Jul 5, 2007, 11:03 GMT

Silverstone, Britain - Kimi Raikkonen may have denied Lewis Hamilton a hat-trick of Formula One race victories by winning the French Grand Prix last weekend but the Briton still heads the drivers' standings ahead of his maiden home GP.

Hamilton has managed eight podium finishes out of eight in is debut F1 season to lead McLaren-Mercedes team-mate Fernando Alonso by 14 points going into the Silverstone weekend, a race that marks the midpoint of the 2007 season.

'It is going to be another new experience, I expect the atmosphere will be incredible and I cannot wait to race in front of my home fans,' said Hamilton.

'To win at this race would be immense, but we have to be realistic with our expectations. This is one race out of 17 and as with all the Grands Prix, I will do my best to win for the fans, but the most important thing for them is to enjoy the whole weekend whatever the result will be.'

Hamilton received a hero's welcome at the circuit last year when he won a GP2 Series race there but even that reception is likely to pale into insignificance if the 22-year-old becomes the first British driver to win his home Grand Prix since David Coulthard in 2000.

'That weekend with GP2 last year is something I will never forget,' he admitted. 'The response from the crowd was like nothing I had ever experienced before and I can't wait to get back out on track.'

Defending world champion Alonso took the chequered flag at Silverstone last year while with Renault and will be hoping for a similar result this weekend to make up for the disappointment of finishing down in seventh place at Magny Cours.

'Silverstone has always been a special race for me as it is one of the biggest Grands Prix of the year and has a unique atmosphere,' he said.

'It was a special win for me last year. It was very competitive and tough, but that is always the way at Silverstone. It is great fun to race here as there are some great corners, Copse is one of the fastest we race through.'

McLaren will prepare for the British GP without chief designer Mike Coughlan, who has been suspended by his team in the wake of allegations from Ferrari that he had illegally received information from the Italian marque.

However, to allay concerns of wrongdoing the British team has invited motorsport's ruling body FIA to conduct a full review of its cars to satisfy itself that McLaren has not benefited in any way.

Ferrari, who have sacked former race and test team manager Nigel Stepney following an internal investigation, appear content to let FIA and the courts deal with the espionage saga and are instead concentrating on closing the gap to McLaren.

Raikkonen finished ahead of team-mate Felipe Massa in France and the quick Silverstone circuit should favour Ferrari again although nothing less than a win will do for the Finn, who trails Massa by five and Hamilton by 22 points.