Gascoyne pessimistic for Britain

The British circuit requires a high-downforce set-up, which has not been a glowing feature on the team's car this year. But the Silverstone race is the last for the original TF104 with an upgraded car scheduled to make its debut at the following race in Germany on July 25.

"Silverstone is another maximum downforce track, which we know is not a positive trait of our TF104," Gascoyne said. "In qualifying, I think we have demonstrated a reasonably strong performance, but at this type of circuit we generally struggle with race pace.

"We are working flat out to produce new parts for the updated car which will debut in Hockenheim, so we are not bringing any major new parts to Silverstone. The British Grand Prix will be the last race we run this specification of TF104, but we must remember that the car which will run in Hockenheim is merely the start of a process, rather than an end of the 2004 development process."

Cristiano da Matta, who drove in the Regent Street Parade in London on Tuesday, led the British GP for a third of the race last year, but the Brazilian does not expect to do the same this time round.

"My British Grand Prix weekend kicked off a bit earlier with the Regent Street parade on Tuesday evening. I was stunned by the huge numbers of people who turned up. This level of enthusiasm really made the occasion special and this type of event is ideal to bring the fans closer to the action.

"We now head to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, which holds special memories for me, after I led last year's race in rather bizarre circumstances. I do not expect a repeat this year, but Silverstone is my absolute favourite circuit and I always enjoy racing there. We had a productive test there in June, but I am reluctant to make predictions, so I prefer to wait and see what happens this weekend."

Silverstone also ranks highly on team-mate Olivier Panis' list. "Silverstone is near the top of my list of favourite circuits and I always enjoy racing there," he said. "Unfortunately, the weather is rarely in our favour normally with some rain over the weekend. Nevertheless, we put in our full efforts whether wet or dry. After the huge disappointment of Magny-Cours, we will be looking to get back in the midfield fight, but we have to make sure that our performance is consistent throughout the whole weekend right to the chequered flag."