LEWIS HAMILTON failed to mask the disappointment of finishing well off the pace in the British Grand Prix.

Hamilton started and finished eighth, with teammate Jenson Button ending the day two places behind in tenth at a surprisingly dry Silverstone. Expectations were high for the McLaren duo, but a tempermental weather forecast coupled with a supreme tactical display from winner Mark Webber and second-placed Fernando Alonso saw Britain's podium bid crumble.

Hamilton later admitted he was shocked and confused as to how he managed to blow the race lead to eventually finish so far down the grid.

He said: “It wasn’t a great race for me – I just wish we could have done more for the fans today. We tried as hard as we could, but we simply didn’t have the pace this afternoon.

“My tyres were still good at the end of my first stint, and I was able to hang on to Fernando Alonso. So it’s hard to understand how we could be leading the race at one point and then fall back to eighth place, especially as our car doesn’t feel bad overall.

“I raced my heart out and was flat-out right to the end. We’re still in the hunt for the world championship – and, if we can find a bit of lap-time, we can stay in the hunt, too.

"I’d love to have done better in my home Grand Prix, but, regardless, the fans were fantastic throughout the weekend.”

Button also thanked fans for their continued support and underlined the team's desire to repay that faith with success in the upcoming German Grand Prix on July 22.

He added: “It was good to get a point in my Grand Prix, but of course that’s not what we ought to be doing: we’re a front-running team and we’ve got a bit of work to do to start running at the front again.

"I don’t think we made any mistakes with our strategy today; we’re just not quite quick enough at the moment, that’s all.”