Montoya out to impress.

Juan Pablo Montoya says he hopes he can give McLaren reason to cheer as he competes in the team's home race for the first time this weekend at Silverstone.

Montoya heads into the British Grand Prix having been overshadowed by team-mate Kimi Raikkonen during the first half of the season, with the Colombian yet to step onto the podium since making the switch from Williams during the winter.

Having been forced out of the last race at Magny-Cours, Montoya is keen to score points at a race where McLaren are expected to perform strongly and is looking to put a smile on the face on the team's fans.

"Following France, I am looking for a strong result at the British Grand Prix," he said. "The MP4-20 feels really strong and should suit the Silverstone track. This year will be my first home race at Silverstone with Team McLaren Mercedes, I understand a lot of people from Woking and Brixworth will be going to the race and hopefully we can give them something to celebrate.

"The circuit is a great challenge; you have to really push the car to the limits. For the three long straights and fast, flowing corners we need power, but this needs to be balanced with the good traction for the medium grip slower bends at the back of the circuit. As a result we will have a medium to low downforce configuration. Silverstone is a track where you can overtake, the best place is under braking into Stowe and there are also chances at Vale and Club."

McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh is equally hopeful of seeing the team challenge at the front - and said he was confident that both Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen will be fighting for the podium.

"The pace of the MP4-20 package in the hands of both Juan Pablo and Kimi was well demonstrated in France," he said, "and as a result we have the potential to challenge for the top spots on the podium at one of three home races for Team McLaren Mercedes this season, the British Grand Prix.

"As part of our build-up to the British Grand Prix, we conducted a positive test at Silverstone in early June. In addition to other scheduled development work at the session, we completed our pre-race programme including set-up and tyre selection work with Michelin."