Fan support sugars pill for Hamilton

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Lewis Hamilton believes there is "light at the end of the tunnel" after a British Grand Prix that left him humbled by the fans support.

The world champion was blown away by the reaction he received over the course of the weekend at Silverstone despite the season of woe he has endured in his McLaren.

Hamilton finished a career-low 16th, yet when he crossed the line at the end the fans gave him a rousing cheer, reciprocating their support with wheel-spin 'donuts' at Stowe and Copse on his slow- down lap.

When Hamilton then took to the stage at the post-race concert, the 20,000 fans in attendance again gave him another tumultuous roar.

Indeed, Hamilton appears more popular now with the British fans than he was when he was winning.

Acknowledging their acclaim, Hamilton said: "What an amazing end to the day.

"When I walked onto the stage, the fans' reaction was amazing - just overwhelming.

"Because we are not doing so well this year with our results, I was worried about letting the fans down.

"But honestly, I've been really humbled by the support from the fans at Silverstone this year.

"I thought they were incredible in 2007 and 2008, but this year was bigger and better than ever.

"I've never seen so much passion from a crowd at a grand prix, from people in the paddock, everyone cheering me on in the grandstands, and then the people afterwards at the post-race party.

"I think this year's race has been the best ever for the fans, and we really need to come back to Silverstone again."

As for the donuts, Hamilton added: "I'd had a great weekend and I wanted to entertain the fans. I hope they enjoyed it.

"It was only afterwards I realised that's not the sort of thing you see very often at the end of a grand prix.

"But I wanted to do it to say 'thank you' for continuing to support me and my team in our time of need. We will repay your loyalty - soon."

All the support in the world will not make Hamilton's car go any faster, although a significant upgrade is expected for the next race in Germany in three weeks' time.

If those improvements fail to work it will surely be time for the team to call it a day for this season and plough all their resources into next year's car.

Up until then, Hamilton remains hopeful of any kind of upturn in result at the Nurburgring, a second 'home' race for McLaren given the backing of engine partners Mercedes.

"It's still not going to be a night-and-day change that makes the difference, but I'm hoping that we can gain some advantage to help improve our results," added Hamilton.

"It would be great to give our second home crowd something to cheer and feel proud about, but we'll see.

"Places like Hungary, Valencia and Singapore should hopefully be stronger for us, and so there is light at the end of the tunnel for the end-of-season push.

"We need a competitive car before the end of the season so we can learn as much as we possibly can for next season."