Q. Silverstone beckons: are you expecting a lot of home support?
Lewis Hamilton: The amount of support that Jenson [Button] and I get at Silverstone is ridiculous. There are flags everywhere, people shout your name and if you do something good, like an overtaking manoeuvre, they go completely mad. I want to win this race so much: for the team, for the fans and for my family.
Q. What are the logistical advantages of racing at home?
LH: It will be nice not to have to sleep in a hotel. I’ll be staying at my parents’ house, so I’ll get to enjoy some home cooking. I must remember not to eat too much! My aunties and cousins will be there too, so it’s going to be a great weekend.
Q. Do you enjoy the challenge of Silverstone’s high-speed sweeps?
LH: It’s very exciting to drive an F1 car around Silverstone. You definitely have to build up your speed. If you don’t build up slowly, you’ll end up in the wall and you’ll look stupid. You have to focus on how many steps it takes you to drive flat-out. For example, I try to minimise the amount of time it takes to get through Copse flat; if I get through it flat on my second attempt, I’ll be pleased.
Q. How do you know whether the car is capable of taking Copse flat-out?
LH: Every lap you’re asking yourself if you can take it flat. You have just split seconds to make a decision and you have to make sure that you’re as switched on as you’ll ever be so that you can react.
Q. How will the rule change affecting off-throttle diffusers affect the pecking order?
LH: All we know is how the change is affecting our car. It would be nice to think that it will affect us less than others, but we’ll only find out where we’re at when qualifying gets underway on Saturday. There is going to be even more of an incentive to keep your right foot buried because, under the new rules, when you come off the throttle you’re going to lose downforce.
Q. Who is the British World Champion from history that you most admire?
LH: I admire them all, but James Hunt is someone I would love to have met. There’s a big part of me that wonders what he was like and I would have loved to have a conversation with him. You’ve only got to look at his results to know that he was very quick and always on the limit. He was also very cool out of the car – very chilled. He won at Silverstone and I want to win at Silverstone again.
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