The last British driver to take the world crown for his country, 1996 Formula one world champion Damon Hill, has warned his countryman, Honda Racing’s Jenson Button, that the time has come to leave the Brackley based squad, especially if he still wants to become champion, as Honda certainly won’t deliver, at least this year!

"I think Jenson has put all his eggs in one basket but there comes a point when his loyalty has to be helpful to his career. The clock is ticking. You've got a window. He's done a lot of grands prix and I don't think Honda will be a grand prix-winning team this year,” Hill said in the Daily Mail.

Jenson took his first Grand Prix victory at the rain affected Hungarian grand Prix last year, however Hill believes that this was a false indication of the team’s potential and not a sign that they had finally turned the corner and produced a championship winning car. According to Hill, the only teams capable of giving Jenson what he really wants are Ferrari, Renault or McLaren, who have just signed on British rookie, Lewis Hamilton, who could seriously upset Jenson’s applecart…..

“If he wants to be champion and I believe he does, despite the smile, I don't think he will like to be passed by Lewis or anyone else. He has to have a plan for the next two years. Now Lewis is here, Jenson has to ask some serious questions about where he's going to get front-running. There are a lot of teams but only McLaren, Ferrari and Renault really know how to win."

Lewis and Jenson are not the only British drivers on the grid this year with Anthony Davidson and veteran racer David Coulthard also competing. So, out of the four, who does Hill think will be the next British champion?

“You can never tell,” he said. “But after a few years you recognise a pattern that develops in grand prix racing. At the moment I think it has to be Lewis Hamilton who fits that template. But I know Jenson’s not going to take that lying down.”