Button, Hamilton eye home glory at Silverstone

McLaren's British drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton are hoping a return to home comforts can push them up the Formula One standings.

The pair will be the headline attractions this weekend at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, with the ninth race of an exciting and unpredictable season to be staged in front of a near sell-out crowd.

The famous circuit was slightly changed ahead of the 2011 race - won by current championship leader Fernando Alonso - but Button insists the event has not lost any of its iconic charm and says he wants to do well in front of a passionate home crowd.

"We all had to adjust last year to starting in a different place on the circuit, which is a very odd thing when you've spent your entire racing career treating Copse (corner) as turn one," Button said.

"Formula One is all about evolution, about looking to the future, and Silverstone has demonstrated its adaptability all through the years. It is part of the fabric of F1, and still one of the world's greatest motor racing circuits.

"This has been an incredibly unpredictable season, but at least it's a little easier to predict that Silverstone will once again be packed and that all the British drivers are going to get a lift from the energy the fans bring. I always enjoy racing at home because the atmosphere is unbeatable."

Button, the 2009 world champion, has struggled to build on his victory in this year's season opener in Melbourne.

He sits eighth in the driver standings with 49 points, which sees him trailing Alonso by 62 points.

Hamilton is faring better, sitting third with 88, but he could have been even closer to the Ferrari driver if it were not for a crash with Williams driver Pastor Maldonado on the penultimate lap of the European Grand Prix just over a week ago.

Maldonado was the aggressor in the incident, running the Englishman into a barrier, but Hamilton has moved on quickly and like Button, can't wait to race at Silverstone.

"It was frustrating to lose out so close to the finish (in Valencia), but that's motor racing," Hamilton said.

"You put it behind you and move on to the next race - which, happily for me, is at my home circuit of Silverstone.

"The Santander British Grand Prix is special because I get a massive boost from all the fans. To me, winning at Silverstone is right up there with winning at Monaco. Standing on the top step of the podium in 2008 was among the sweetest moments of my career."

While Hamilton has saluted at the circuit before, Button has not, despite the fact that eight different drivers have won the last nine races at Silverstone.

Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher is a three-time winner at the track (1998, 2002, 2004) while Alonso (2006, 2011) also has impressive form in England.

Australian Mark Webber has been consistent in 2012 and sits second in the standings, 20 points behind Alonso.

He will hope to emulate his 2010 win at Silverstone while reigning champion Sebastian Vettel - fourth in the standings - is ominously placed entering the second half of the season.