Coulthard expecting difficult race

The Scot, the last British winner at Silverstone in 2000, qualified down in 12th position after feeling uncomfortable with his car's handling.

The Red Bull Racing driver admitted, however, that the result was better than he was expecting.

"Twelfth is actually a bit better than what I expected going into qualifying, as I was struggling in this morning's session," said Coulthard. "The car felt unsettled in the middle runs, if I gained something in one area, I'd lose it in another, but on the last lap I managed to hook up all the sectors.

"Maybe the final lap was a little conservative, but I don't think I could have done any more to get into the top ten.

"This is a circuit where track position and car pace is what will play out, therefore even if we decide to run heavy tomorrow, which would be an option, I don't believe it would make a big difference.

"I think it will be difficult to get into the points, but we'll do what we can."

Teammate Mark Webber finished one place ahead of Coulthard.