Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes still trailing Red Bull and Ferrari

Although the Briton is upbeat about the progress his team has made in the last couple of races with its long-run form, he has warned his home fans not to get too excited about his prospects for Silverstone.

The high-speed swoops of the circuit are expected to be perfect for the impressive single-lap pace of the W04, but tyre degradation remains a big concern for the race.

And Hamilton thinks that Red Bull and Ferrari's speed in Canada was evidence of just how much more his team needs to do.

"You really don't know what's around the corner, but the Ferrari and the Red Bull, I don't know what they've done to their car, but it was massively quick in the [Canadian] race for some reason," he said.

"So we really have to figure out how to improve, and that's what we are going to work on."

When asked what he was expecting for the British Grand Prix: "Tyre degradation! The long run is going to be a challenge because there are lots of high-speed corners, so it's the perfect place to overheat your tyres and degrade them.

"But at the last two races the long-run pace has been fantastic. It was great in Monaco, and it was really good here.

"We weren't as quick as the Red Bulls and Ferraris, but it was really good for us.

"We have to improve on that, but I hope when we get to a high-speed track we are able to maintain what we have here."

Although Hamilton is cautious about his chances for the British GP race, he still thinks delivering pole position would be enough reason to celebrate.

"I want to give the fans a good result, for sure," he said. "Going to Silverstone is always a special one for me, and I want to win it, in my heart.

"I want to be as high up as I can possibly be. It's important to have a Brit on the podium.

"Pole position would be incredible too. It would be like 2007 all over again, so that's what I'm going there to do."