Button hoping for 'British' weather

For the third year in a row the Honda driver was eliminated in the first part of qualifying for his home race. He will start 17th, one place behind teammate Rubens Barrichello, having struggled to generate tyre temperature in Q1.

But with rain forecast for race day, Button hopes he can use the potentially changeable conditions to his advantage.

"We just have to hope for rain tomorrow, and it looks like it is going to," he told reporters at Silverstone.

"Then, it is all up in the air. We will have to stay out of trouble on the first lap, which has been obviously quite difficult in the last two races, and if I can do that and make up enough places we can be on for a points finish - even from where we are."

He remained realistic about his expectations even in the event of a downpour, though.

"I don't think it is lightning quick (in the wet)," said Button. "We won't be up there with the BMWs, Ferraris or McLarens, but it is alright.

"In the wet conditions it is just the unknown for everyone, so you can make up a bit of ground that way. And it's about getting the strategy right, as we have to make sure we understand how long the tyres are going to last. There is no point filling it up if the tyres aren't going to last. There are lots of different things we have to run through tonight, as well as look out for the weather."

Button admitted that his seventh place in Friday practice had not been a representative time, but said he had still hoped for much better than the ninth row.

"I don't think seventh was quite correct as a time from yesterday, but I expected to get through to Q2 and be fighting it out in the middle of that - so from 10th to 15th," he said.

"So it was a bit disappointing going out in Q1, but there is no use in dwelling on it. We have to look at the reasons for it, for sure, and we have to look forward to tomorrow if it is wet and get some good chances out of it."