Button downplays Silverstone expectations

"I don't think we have a chance of winning because we cannot match the speed of Renault and Ferrari," he told The Guardian.

"I expect we will be fighting with the likes of McLaren for the places.

"We have had a very good test in Barcelona this week and we are working on getting the best out of the Honda car. Unfortunately we are not going to give the fans what they want, which is a home win, but I still have faith in Honda to deliver in the longer term."

After impressive performances in winter testing, Button went into 2006 expecting to be a title contender, but Honda have slipped back since the season began. He now says that he is relying on rain at Silverstone to give him a chance of fighting for victory.

"I believe the basic car is very well made but we need more downforce and extra power to get results," he said. "It is tough when you give everything and end up only fifth or sixth.

"I can understand that it would be great for the fans if it is a sunny weekend but if it was wet it would absolutely shake it up for us."

Button remains confident that Honda's future is bright, despite recent disappointments.

"I know they won't give up, I know what they are like," he said. "Building a new wind tunnel shows their commitment to giving it everything to challenge for the championship.

"It is going to make a big difference. I have a lot of faith in the team to be winning races and challenging for the championship but I'm not going to put a timescale on it."