Hamilton on his fans: 'It's like floating'

Lewis Hamilton is driving in front of his home crowd at Silverstone this weekend. The Briton hopes to find some extra speed this weekend with the help of his fans.

Nigel Mansell once claimed that the home crowd made him drive half a second a lap faster. "I wish it was," says Hamilton. "We really need that right now." That his home race elicits something extra from Hamilton is clear from his numbers. After all, the seven-time world champion has won at the circuit eight (!) times in his career.

He hopes the fans will let him shine again. "That positive energy that everyone brings and, just seeing so many, so many of the flags, so many of the caps, and people supporting us, it really just helps spur you along."

The Englishman tries to put the support of his fans into words: "There's this kind of feeling of floating when you come here." The Mercedes driver could do with a good weekend after a tough outing in Austria. Hamilton was battling with his car and was even addressed sternly by team boss Toto Wolff over the team radio.