Jenson Button thinks Lewis Hamilton can win British GP given how he just outclassed Charles Leclerc

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Jenson Button believes Lewis Hamilton will feel he can win the 2026 British Grand Prix given how he outclassed Charles Leclerc to maximise Ferrari’s race in the Austrian GP.

F1 heads straight to Silverstone after last Sunday’s race at the Red Bull Ring for round nine of the season this weekend. Silverstone is also the circuit where Hamilton has secured his most Grand Prix wins, with the Stevenage native winning the British GP a record nine times so far.

No other driver has ever won more than eight Grands Prix at one track. And Button believes an incredible 10th British GP win may be on the cards for Hamilton in 2026, even though he will hit home soil on the back of only taking P5 in the Austrian GP on a tough day for Ferrari.

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Lewis Hamilton’s tyre management in Austria will make him believe a British GP win is possible

Even McLaren ace Lando Norris felt “sorry” for Ferrari after the Austrian GP, after he noticed just how much time Hamilton and Leclerc lost due to the SF-26’s straight-line speed. He also felt the Scuderia stars failed to make the lap time back in the corners, owing to Pirelli’s tyres.

READ MORE: Every Brit to win the British Grand Prix, including Lewis Hamilton’s record tally

Button was impressed by how Hamilton handled the tyres that Pirelli had at the Austrian GP, however, as the 41-year-old outclassed 28-year-old Leclerc. So, with the forecast predicting a cooler time at Silverstone, Button believes Hamilton will be confident he can win at home.

“Lewis is definitely arriving with confidence,” Button told Sky Sports. “It didn’t go his way in the last race, but it wasn’t down to him. The package just wasn’t there.

“Compare him to his teammate, Charles Leclerc, who is very well regarded, and Lewis came out on top again. He could make those tyres last a lot better at the start of the race, [and he] had the pace when his teammate didn’t.

“He won’t be happy with the result, but he’ll know he got the maximum out of it. And it’s the old Lewis that we used to know, he’s maximising everything, and it’s really good to see.

“He’ll be confident coming home to slightly lower temperatures. The Ferrari is pretty good aero-wise. Silverstone is primarily a power circuit, but you have still got to carry the speed through the corners [and] down the straights. I think he’ll be confident coming in that he’s got a chance for the victory.”

What is the weather forecast for the 2026 F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone?

The Austrian GP saw ambient temperatures hit 34.5°c at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, which also saw track temperatures hit as high as 46.8°c. F1 had not raced with track temperatures that high for a while, and Ferrari struggled more than most to manage the tyre degradation.

Ferrari are likely to perform better in the conditions expected at Silverstone, though, as the forecast for the British GP ought to be more favourable for the SF-26 and thus for Hamilton and Leclerc. There is also a slight chance of rain on each day of the British GP race weekend.

Practice on Friday is set to see ambient temperatures in the region of 22-23°C, before Sprint Qualifying in the evening is set to take place with temperatures in the region of 24°C. The F1 Sprint this Saturday at Silverstone should also see air temperatures in the region of 22-23°C.

Qualifying for the 2026 British GP should take place with temperatures in the region of 25°C, too, with wind speeds as high as 11-12mph – the highest that F1 should see by that stage of the event. The wind should ease for the British GP, with temperatures of 23-26°C forecast.