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Jenson Button’s 2012 frustrations continued in Silverstone as he struggled in the first wet qualifying, ending up stranded in 18th place.

Button, who was second in dry practice in the morning, has at least gained two places spot from the Jean-Eric Vergne and Kauni Kobayashi Valencia penalties. He said that the session just didn’t work out for him.

“We headed out and said it’s going to rain, and we’ve got to push hard every lap,” said Button. “Even if we have traffic just keep going with that, and it wasn’t really working out for me. I was stuck behind a Caterham. I backed off for a couple of laps to try and find some space. And then I pushed again, but when I pushed again it was too late, the water had already started falling in the last sector of the lap.

“The first two sectors were up quite a bit on my best time. We were in a very difficult situation, because it was do we stay out on these tyres, or do we hope we can find a bit more time, or do we risk coming in and doing one more timed lap on a new set? We made the right call, but it wasn’t to be in the end. It was strange, because I felt there was good pace in the car, but we just couldn’t extract it in Q1.”

Button’s last lap was spoiled when he hit yellow flags after Timo Glock spun in the final corner.

“Obviously you have to back off and you can’t go quicker, and you’ve got to show you’re backing off enough, but secondly, I didn’t know where the car was. It was waved yellows and I didn’t know whether it was planted in the middle of the last corner.”

Jenson said that the track was especially difficult as rain wasn’t running away: “It’s tricky, and a lot of it’s because there has been so much rain here over the last 300 years! It’s been such a wet summer, it’s a bit of an issue for us. So when it does rain, it doesn’t sink into the ground, it sits on top. The rivers are forming very quickly, even if the circuit isn’t that wet. Especially coming out of Becketts onto Hangar Straight, it’s very, very wet there.”

Despite his problems he’s hoping that fortune favours him come the race.

“You want to be aggressive through the race, and there are lots of opportunities. I think you’ve really got to race clever tomorrow, but stating the obvious, you need to be there at the end. I think if you finish the race tomorrow there’s a very good chance, if you’ve had a reasonable race, of scoring some good points, because of such mixed conditions.

“And it’s not easy out there. There seems to be very low grip when it’s wet around here, which is unusual, and something I can’t remember here at Silverstone. I don’t know if it’s the new asphalt or what, but it feels very slippery. I think there are going to be more mistakes. It’s going to be trying to keep your cool when maybe others aren’t.”

Maria de Villota underwent further surgery today, and her condition has been upgraded to ‘serious but stable.’

The Marussia team said in a statement tonight: “This was a planned procedure that would depend upon the continued stability of Maria’s head injuries, and this morning the medical team were sufficiently happy with her progress to allow the operation to go ahead.

“The surgeons successfully completed the next phase of surgery required to address Maria’s facial injuries. After the lengthy initial procedure, which commenced on Tuesday and concluded on Wednesday, today’s secondary operation took significantly less time.

“Since the operation today, Maria’s condition in relation to the head trauma she received has further improved, to the extent that she is now ‘serious but stable.’

“Whilst Maria remains acutely ill, this confirms that she has been responding well to the treatment she has received since her accident. Coupled with the significant progress that has been made with regard to her facial injuries, we feel sufficiently comfortable to proceed with a further update.

“On a more personal note, we have taken a great deal of encouragement from today’s developments and the rather more positive signs for Maria’s family.”

Drivers competing in the British GP this weekend are carrying star stickers on their helmets to show support for the 32-year-old Spaniard.

Lewis Hamilton was fastest overall at a wet Silverstone on Friday, but the McLaren man admitted it had been a largely unproductive day, with the team unable to properly assess its latest updates.

He also expressed his sympathy for fans who spent a day in the rain, but didn’t see much track action.

“We didn’t get to test the components, but we had some fun out there, we still got to do a few laps,” said Hamilton. “But for me I was just more concerned for the fans, there were so many great fans here today.

“I’ve never, ever seen so many on a Friday, and unfortunately with this terrible weather… And we don’t have enough tyres to go out and keep them entertained. I really appreciate the support and having them here, so I hope they keep warm and stay strong because it’s hopefully going to be a good weekend.”

Hamilton said he enjoyed the wet weather driving: “It’s exciting. You grip onto the steering wheel perhaps harder than you normally do just to help make sure you are fully in control of the vehicle, you’re aquaplaning all the time, so you have to be very, very in tune with your senses, more so than other times.”

Unusually Lewis also took a stroll up and down the pit lane during the session, visiting teams at both ends.

“I was bored, and very rarely do I get to walk down the pitlane and have a look at other garages, see how they’re set up, see how their pit lights are, and see what the cars have different to mine. It’s good to be able to see it firsthand.”

Sebastian Vettel says that Red Bull learned very little in today’s wet practice at Silverstone – and the German admits he felt sorry for fans who waited patiently and saw relatively little track action.

Vettel was 11th and 13th in the two rain-hit sessions.

“I think we saved the tyres by not running!,” said Vettel. “This afternoon there was too much water. It’s pretty tricky in these conditions, I think it’s more of a shame for the fans sitting in the grandstands waiting for the cars to come out, and we didn’t come. A little bit at the end, but basically a little bit of a waste, because you can’t really try anything.

“We’ll see what happens tomorrow. I think the weather will be the most important thing in determining the rest of the weekend, so hopefully we’ll get some running tomorrow morning and then get ready for qualifying.”

Mark Webber says he can win the 2012 World Championship – but admits that he will have to win some races rather than rely on consistent finishing.

The Monaco GP winner moved into second place in the table when he finished fourth in Valencia.

“The chances are as good as anyone else, I would say,” said Webber. “Obviously I’m with a very good team, I’ve driven very well from I would say the last six races of last year to the first six or seven races of this year. It looks like 2010 in terms of how tight it can be.

“You’ve got to stay in the hunt, you’ve got to be consistent, but you still need to win. You cannot just get your fourths and fifths, you still need to have the opportunity to win Grands Prix and then make sure that you are finishing the other ones, because DNFs obviously hurt as well.

“It is tight between lots of different people, and I think because points have been stolen off people – if you look at the podium in Valencia and Canada for that matter championship guys are winning the races, but in term of championship guys on the podium, it was a bit softer. Sometimes guys on the podium were not guys who are winning races.”

Meanwhile regarding his future plans Webber suggested that retirement at the end of the season is not on his mind right now.

“As I said at the start of the year I think the winter break was good for me and my focus was to really enjoy the start of this season and get the most out of driving again, which was clearly all in my hands, with my motivation and my level of spirit towards the job and the guys.

“So that’s what I’m doing at the moment, I’m really, really enjoying my work. For next year there’s a pretty decent chance I’ll be racing in F1. Let’s see come November, maybe it looks good.”

The family of Maria de Villota has offered its thanks to those who have expressed their support for the Spanish driver over the past few days.

De Villota remains in a stable condition after undergoing surgery.

Her sister Isobel has issued the following statement via the Marussia team: “Maria remains in a critical but stable condition here at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. While there is no further news than that at present, we have at least been able to take encouragement from the fact that Maria has remained stable throughout since the accident, particularly during the first night following such a lengthy surgical procedure as she experienced yesterday.

“We, the family, are supporting each other here at Maria’s side and we take great comfort from the remarkable medical care she has been receiving. We remain positive and this is due, in no small part, to the overwhelming expression of love and support for Maria from every corner of the world. We would also wish to thank everyone at the Marussia F1 Team for all the care and attention they have shown us over the past few days.”

Inevitably Maria de Villota has been in many people’s thoughts as the F1 circus gathered at Silverstone today, and fortunately Marussia team sources have given positive news, saying the Spaniard had a comfortable night and there have been no additional complications.

Meanwhile many drivers have expressed their sympathy for her plight, although understandably they didn’t want to talk about what might have caused the incident.

“Obviously we are very worried for this situation because we are still waiting for some more news,” said her compatriot Fernando Alonso. “We only know what you all know and there are still some difficult days until the situation is completely clear, and the operation has passed completely etc.

“Sad days, for sure, completely shock when you hear the news and how what happened is possible. Obviously we don’t know all the information it’s difficult to talk about the reasons etc until we know the official version but at the moment, it’s so difficult to imagine how this can happen.”

“First of all our thoughts are with her and we all feel very sad to hear about the consequences,” said Michael Schumacher. “None of us has any details of what actually has happened, and therefore I don’t feel it will be right to comment at this point in time. I just wish her well and a good recovery.”

“I don’t know her personally, but when I read about it I was absolutely devastated for her and for her family,” said Lewis Hamilton. “I think it’s very, very tragic and myself and my team, we send on our warmest wishes her way and hope that she has a speedy recovery, hope that things get better.”

“It’s shocking,” said Sebastian Vettel. “It happened on my birthday. I went for a bike ride, it was raining, and I had a puncture, and then I heard about the accident, so it was not a good start to the day, but obviously dreadful for her. I’m just hoping that she has a good recovery from now onwards.

“I’m not pretty clear what happened. I spoke to Timo [Glock], obviously he knows a little bit more. It would be interesting to understand why it happened, if there was a problem, or of it was a mistake that she did. But surely at the moment the most important thing is that she gets into a very good condition soon. Obviously I read that she lost her eye, so yes, it’s shocking.”

Pastor Maldonado says he won’t change his aggressive driving style, despite losing priceless points after his late clash with Lewis Hamilton in Valencia.

The Venezuelan has had a few scrapes this year. He lost a good position in Melbourne when he went off on the last lap, while his Monaco and Montreal weekends were also badly impacted by accidents, both of which led to gearbox changes and a grid penalty.

“I think I’ve been a bit unlucky in the last couple of races,” said Maldonado. “Especially Monaco and Montreal, because I was penalised because of the gearbox. But the pace has been always there.

“And for sure last race it’s difficult to evaluate. Lewis was losing by 3s a lap, and I saw the chance to get into the podium. I had a very difficult race, especially in some moments I was P10, and I recovered quite well. For sure I was looking forward to getting into the podium as well.

“One and a half laps to the end I saw the chance to take the position against Lewis, he tried to defend, I tried to attack. It was a normal contact [accident], I think. For sure it was disappointing, because it was good points for the team, for me as well. Looking forward, it doesn’t change anything. The season is still long, we have plenty of races, coming. So I’m looking forward.

“For sure, I will drive in the same way. We need to push, especially in this moment the gaps are very close, and I think the drivers are making the difference at the moment.”
Although Silverstone has some similarities with Barcelona, where he won in May, Maldonado says it’s too early to suggest that the track will suit the Williams.

“This kind of track our car has been working quite well in the past. But it’s different conditions, different weather, different track as well, different tarmac surface. It’s difficult to predict. At the moment we have a quite good feeling with the tyres, the tyres are working quite well, I know how to manage the tyres during the race, I know how to manage them in qualy. But this is not everything. The team has been working hard even to improve the performance.

“For this race we have a new aero package, a quite big one, so I’m looking forward to test it on the track tomorrow. It’s a home race for the team, so it’s a special one. In the last I’ve done quite well actually, last year was my best qualifying, I think it was seventh or eighth, so for sure I’m looking forward to this weekend. It’s going to be very important for us to find a good result, good points.”

Marussia says that Maria de Villota is in a ‘critical but stable’ condition after undergoing surgery today.

Team principal John Booth confirmed the sad news that she has lost her right eye as the result of the accident.

The team said: “Subsequent to yesterday’s official statements from the Marussia F1 Team, the surgical team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge embarked on a lengthy procedure to address the serious head and facial injuries sustained by Maria in the accident. The operation began yesterday afternoon and she was in theatre until this morning. Maria remains in a critical but stable condition.”

Meanwhile Booth said: “Maria emerged from theatre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital this morning after a lengthy operation to address the serious head and facial injuries she received in the accident at Duxford Airfield yesterday.

“We are grateful for the medical attention that Maria has been receiving and her family would like to thank the Neurological and Plastics surgical teams. However it is with great sadness that I must report that, due to the injuries she sustained, Maria has lost her right eye.

“Maria’s care and the wellbeing of her family remain our priority at this time. Her family are at the hospital and we are doing everything possible to support them.

“We ask for everyone’s patience and understanding with regard to updates on Maria’s condition. We will provide further information when it is appropriate to do so and with consideration for her family.

“In the meantime, we would all like to take this opportunity to praise the emergency services at Duxford Airfield, who were on stand-by yesterday, as is usual procedure for a Formula One test.

“With regard to the accident, we have embarked on a very comprehensive analysis of what happened and this work continues for the moment.

“Finally, we have been overwhelmed by messages of support for Maria, her family and the Team and we would like to express our sincere gratitude for those.”

The Marussia team says that Maria de Villota is conscious following her serious crash at a straight line test at Duxford Airfield today.

The 32-year-old made contact with a loading ramp at the rear of a team support truck at around 0915 after her first run in the car.

The team’s latest statement said: “Further to the accident involving the Marussia F1 Team’s Test Driver Maria De Villota this morning, the team can confirm that Maria was transferred by ambulance from Duxford Airfield, where the accident happened, to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

“Since Maria’s arrival at the hospital at approximately 10.45hrs this morning, she has been receiving the best medical attention possible at the hospital, which is the region’s major trauma centre. Maria is conscious and medical assessments are ongoing. The team will await the outcome of these assessments before providing further comment.

“The team’s first priority at this time is Maria and her family.”