Jenson Button focused on rewarding his fans

"Over the years, I've not had a competitive car but I've still had the support. It's a bit embarrassing, finishing 13th or 14th and still getting support from your fans, but it's a nice feeling.

"And arriving here this year, whatever happens, I'll be leading the championship so it's going to be a great feeling and, hopefully, we can have a great race.

"I've never been on the podium in England, so that has got to be the aim."

Button says he doesn't feel any more pressure racing in Britain than anywhere else in the world as he bids to become Britain's second successive F1 world champion, following Lewis Hamilton's sensational achievement last year.

He said: "I put enough pressure on myself to perform. I know what's going on with this team and I know exactly how well I can do with this team. I don't feel any outside pressure at all.

"Lewis did a fantastic job last year. He became world champion, which is stunning. In a way it was probably good for our team and myself because having another British driver doing very well meant that we didn't have much attention on us and we could just get on with our job and try to improve the situation."

Button's Brawn team, who took over from Honda when the Japanese manufacturer pulled out of the sport, have impressed everyone with the speed and reliability of their car but the British star is not surprised.

He said: "We knew we had a competitive car. We didn't know how good but with the Mercedes Benz engine in the car, it was working very well.

"The best bit about it was the reliability of everything. Despite not testing in the winter, we'd not only built a quick car but also a reliable car and that has been the key this season. We are working really hard, it's not just a walk in the park for us - which some people might think. If you look at every race that we've had, except maybe Australia, there has been a car that has been as competitive."

Button's success this season has led to speculation that Brawn have offered him a new deal to keep him at the team for the rest of his career.

But he said: "The team haven't offered me anything. We haven't talked about anything. That's not on the cards. I'm not interested in talking about money with this team, any team or anything. At this moment in time I can't take my eye off the ball, I've got to be totally focused."

* A full version of this exclusive interview with Jenson Button appears in the relaunched Sport Magazine which will be available at tube and mainline stations across London tomorrow