Hill: no doubts over Button's ability

Although Button's 2006 campaign has been a disappointment, with the first win still appearing no nearer in spite of intense pre-season promise, Hill has said he remains convinced about the young Briton's abilities.

On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Hill believes that Button's talent or commitment should not be called into question and that the only thing that has stopped the Briton delivering on his promise has been the machinery at his disposal.

The verdict will provide a welcome boost to Button, who heads into his home Grand Prix this weekend facing the prospect of only being able to fight for points because his car is lagging behind pace-setters Ferrari and Renault.

"Jenson is definitely capable of winning Grands Prix and I am certain he is capable of becoming World Champion given the right circumstances," said Hill, who has recently been appointed president of the British Racing Drivers' Club.

"I don't think Jenson is slacking. His style is quite neat, he is quite precise and I think that it is easy to feel with someone like that that he is not driving that hard. It is a mistake to think that.

"It was like Alain Prost versus Ayrton Senna. Prost didn't look like he was trying. I saw him go up a kerb once and you really knew he was trying then!

"I think it is wrong to think that Jenson is not absolutely committed. He has always shown that he is committed to his sport and wants to win."

Hill added: "To put it into perspective - how old is he, 26? I didn't get into F1 until I was 33 and then I had a lot of races after that. But let's hope he gets there sooner rather than later."

Although Button's F1 career has not been straightforward, due to the recent contract wrangles with his current team and Williams, Hill believes that just one result will be enough to change perceptions and lift him onto better things.

"It is not easy to plan a clear path through the contractual wranglings and massive business factors that come into play in F1. If he had stayed at Williams then he would not have been any better off, but he is with a major manufacturer and F1 is showing that it is going that way. I would say he has done the right thing.

"Honda are capable of winning the World Championship, but only time will tell. He is our leading hope in this country and I think there is a massive amount of support for Jenson. He has the right attributes and he is doing the best he can. He just needs some stronger equipment to finish it off.

"What happens is that once you get that breakthrough, then there is a kind of massive uplight in terms of the amount of excitement it generates within Honda and within the team itself. Then you are up on the wave and it goes from there."

And Hill does not just believe that Button's prospects are limited to winning races, because he thinks he could be good enough to become a champion.

"Yes, I think so," said Hill, when asked about whether he believed Button was good enough to win the title. "But you can never tell until you get to that.

"What you have to do is wait and see him win races, because there is a whole world of difference between chasing someone for the lead and staying in the lead of a Grand Prix.

"So I think if he can pull that off, then I really don't have any doubts. If he can do that then he can become world champion."