Preview - British Grand Prix 2005.

After the fiasco of Indianapolis, Formula One returned to something approaching normality in France last weekend as Fernando Alonso secured a dominant fifth win of the season to extend his lead in the race to become the 2005 Formula One World Champion.

Alonso powered his Renault to a start to finish victory at Magny-Cours in front of a large contingent of Renault employees but his race was made easier by the penalty imposed on Kimi Raikkonen for an engine change following second practice - as the Finn would certainly have been more of a threat had he started the race from third, rather than 13th.

Michael Schumacher again finished on the podium, but the gap to the leaders was still much greater than either the German or his Ferrari team will like as the paddock descends on the home of British motor sport for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

For long periods during the off-season, it looked like the race might not even take place, but the British fans can now look forward to what should be another classic Silverstone race as the battle to steal Schumacher's crown rolls into Northamptonshire.

For Alonso, this weekend is his third 'home' race of the season after Spain and France, with the Spaniard resident in the Oxford area. The youngster admits that Silverstone, with its mixture of high and low speed sections is one of the most challenging circuits on which to secure a perfect set-up, but the circuit has been used by most of the teams for testing given its close nature to a number of team bases, meaning Renault will be well aware of how to give Alonso the car he needs to be right at the front.

In France the bad luck in the Renault camp again fell on Giancarlo Fisichella and the Italian will be keen to try and put that behind him this weekend. Like Alonso, Fisi feels that Renault will be strong and up there fighting for the podium - with the R25 strong in the aerodynamic and engine departments, something which is crucial to achieving a good result in Sunday's race. However Fisichella admits that testing last month saw the McLaren team running strongly, and Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya will be strong.

Silverstone last season proved to be the turning point for the Mercedes powered team as Raikkonen took his first podium finish of the year and ran Michael Schumacher close for victory having started from pole. The ice cool Finn will undoubtedly be quick again this season and is a man on a mission as he attempts to overhaul Alonso in the race for the championship. Testing at Silverstone has gone well for the team already this season which will only increase the confidence Raikkonen will take into the weekend. Having worked his way through the field in France to finish within 13 seconds of Alonso, it is clear than Raikkonen is more than a match for his rival and the battle between the two promises to be fascinating.

Team-mate Montoya - in much the same way as Fisichella at Renault - has had the lions share of bad luck compared to his team-mate and as a result has not yet taken a podium finish in 2005. Indeed Montoya comes to Silverstone on the back of three DNF's - including his disqualification from the Canadian Grand Prix and the obvious failure to compete at Indianapolis - so for the Colombian it is as vital as ever to fight for points and podiums.

Michael Schumacher has now been on the podium in the last three races - admittedly with one being his 'lucky' win in the United States - to bring himself back into contention for the championship, although the German is well aware of the fact that Ferrari still have work to do to be on the pace of either Renault or McLaren. Despite that fact, Schumi admits it would be foolish to give up on the championship until it is mathematically impossible, despite the fact he is - unusually for him - the rank outsider. While he admits he is unsure how well he will go at Silverstone - one thing that is clear is that Schumacher is racing to win.

Team-mate Rubens Barrichello also carries a good run of form into the Silverstone weekend with three podiums in the last four races, but like Schumacher he faces a challenge if he is to fight at the front. With rumours circulating that Barrichello could be on his way out of the team at the end of the season if Jenson Button leaves BAR, Rubens will be eager to impress to cement his place with the Scuderia and prove his worth to the team but it won't be easy with the pace of the Ferrari 'cause for concern' for the team despite the podium for Schumi at Magny-Cours. It may well be both drivers will need a helping hand to fight for the podium this time around.

One man eager to ensure he avoids a repeat of his 2004 performance at Silverstone is Toyotas Jarno Trulli. Last season, while driving for Renault, Trulli crashed out of the British Grand Prix at high speed and this season the Italian will hope that everything will pass without incident this weekend as he attempts to continue a strong run of form for the Japanese team in 2005. While he admits that the weather will probably play a part in proceedings, Trulli has shown in the past that he has what it takes to be quick around Silverstone and he is looking to be near the front in qualifying and fight again for points in the championship.

Team-mate Ralf Schumacher heads into the weekend thinking exactly the same as Trulli - that points are there to be gained from a strong performance this weekend. Like his Italian stablemate, Schumacher also has a good past record at Silverstone and he will hope to continue that on Sunday. Two Toyotas in the points is a realistic aim for the weekend.

One team that needs to improve this weekend is BMW Williams. Since the high of a double podium at Monaco, the wheels have fallen off the wagon somewhat, with results not meeting expectations in a number or recent races. Magny-Cours was very much a race to forget but the team hopes that yet more aerodynamic improvements will allow both Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber fighting for points rather than scrapping in the mid-field.

Both drivers enjoy the Silverstone circuit and are ready for the challenge that lies ahead, and with no points scored in the last two meetings, Heidfeld and Webber need to be in the points to keep the pressure on Toyota in the standings. However with the uncertainty over the team following the takeover of the Sauber team by engine supplier BMW, things could well be difficult for time to come yet.

Red Bull Racing has already made the headlines in the run up to Silverstone with the announcement that David Coulthard has extended his deal with the team into 2006. A previous winner of the British Grand Prix, DC is highly unlikely to be near the front his time around but will still have the support of a hugely partisan home crowd and will expect to score more valuable points for the first year team. For Christian Klein, his time in the car has taken on added importance in the race to secure the second seat with RBR for next season. The Austrian has the seat at the moment and has to make sure that he does what he can to persuade Red Bull team bosses that he is the man to drive alongside Coulthard next season.

Silverstone will be a race of surprises for Sauber with the Swiss team having not tested at the circuit this year. Jacques Villeneuve says this will put the team on the back foot as they will have to find the optimum set-up for the car while rivals will already have some idea of which way to go - although the Canadian admits that sometimes surprises can be nice...

Team-mate Felipe Massa feels that, despite not testing at Silverstone, the team will be running well this weekend. Having gone well at Jerez, Sauber will have new parts on the car this weekend which Massa hopes will let him continue on that testing pace when the teams hit the track at the weekend.

No-one is closer to the Silverstone than Jordan, who are based a stones throw from the main exit to the circuit. But the home race is likely to be a tough one, with the new car not yet ready to compete and Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro forced to continue with the ageing EJ15. For both drivers the aim will be to finish the race and do what the can to put on a good show for the watching guests - which will be the same aim as at Minardi, who will be keen to put the tyre problems of Magny-Cours well and truly in the past. The battle between Patrick Friesacher, Christijan Albers and the Jordan pairing could provide an interesting side show to the main action again this weekend.

The British Grand Prix can only mean one thing - that Jenson Button will be fighting to give the home fans a victory they crave. However, despite scoring his first legitimate points of the season last weekend in France and with team boss Gil de Ferran saying he feels the BAR Honda package will be well suited to Silverstone, Button has distanced himself from any talk of a victory saying that the team isn't yet in a place to battle Renault and McLaren for top spot. However the podium certainly isn't out of reach and that is where Button is aiming. With Takuma Sato also looking forward to the weekend, BAR will be looking to secure the points needed to lift themselves off the bottom of the standings in the teams home race.

Michelin have carried out extensive testing at Silverstone which means the French tyre company is confident of picking up another victory this weekend, but Bridgestone will also want a victory proper with its only win of 2005 coming in the farcical US race. What both manufacturers will know is that it is vital to ensure the teams are kitted out with tyres for a variety of conditions given how fickle the British weather can be.

And so the British fans wait with bated breath for the action to kick off. While a home victor may not be likely this weekend, one thing is for sure. Alonso, Raikkonen et al are sure to provide another exciting race on a circuit renowned for producing some of the best racing during the season...