SILVERSTONE, England, July 1 (Reuters) - George Russell heads to Silverstone on a high and hoping to give British Formula One fans a home winner at Silverstone for the third year in a row after Lewis Hamilton in 2024 and Lando Norris last July.
The chance of all three standing on the podium -- a Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren combination in whatever order -- is real after the trio provided the first British one-two-three since 1968 in Barcelona last month.
"I’m sure it’s going to be great," said Russell of the return to Silverstone after winning in the heat of Austria last weekend and trimming Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli's championship lead to 40 points.
Compatriot Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, said Russell was in a good place.
"There's nothing in the back of his mind thinking 'Oh, Kimi's quicker than me'," he told reporters.
"All the pieces of the puzzle are together and he's ready to rock."
FIRST HOME RACE AS CHAMPION FOR NORRIS
Norris will be racing at home for the first time as world champion, chasing a first win of the season more in hope than expectation after two podiums so far in 2026.
"We go to Silverstone as champions... and we go realistically, in condition to hopefully fight for podiums," said McLaren team boss Andrea Stella. "But the victory will be difficult."
Button reckoned Russell and seven-times world champion Hamilton both had a good chance,with the Ferrari driver boasting an exceptional history at Silverstone as a record nine-times winner there.
"I don't think Mercedes can have it all their own way, you know, the Ferrari is very good in high-speed corners, change of direction," added the Briton on a call for ticket resale company Viagogo.
"It is going to be hot, which is their only downfall... I expect we're going to have a couple of Brits fighting there at the front with Kimi."
Red Bull's four-times world champion Max Verstappen holds the Silverstone lap record and won there in 2023.
He was Russell's closest rival in Austria, with Antonelli third, but the Dutch driver has hardly been playing up his chances in the new engine era.
"I love the track but I did a few laps on the simulator and I just started laughing," he said of Silverstone.
"It felt like a different track, to be honest. You barely have battery around the lap. It’s just constantly flat. So yes, it’s going to feel very different compared to what we are used to around Silverstone, because of the layout of the track... it's going to be a tough one."
The weekend follows the sprint format, for the fourth time this season, offering more points and a chance for Russell to make bigger inroads into the 19-year-old Antonelli's lead.
The Italian qualified 10th last year and retired, after a collision with French driver Isack Hadjar, but has shown this season that past performance is no guide to current form.
"He's always there, he's always competitive, and it's very different to the Kimi we saw last year, especially in the European part of the season, that really struggled," said Button.
The race will also be a Formula One first for Racing Bulls' British rookie Arvid Lindblad, who could well end up in the points.
"It's going to be a special moment for me, my first home race," said Lindblad.
"It was the first F1 race I went to so to be going there 13 years later as a Formula One driver will be very special. To be going there with a car that is competitive, fighting for something, is very cool."
The forecast for the weekend is warm with little chance of rain, although the weather at Silverstone can be notoriously fickle.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; editing by Clare Fallon)
