Jenson Button left Silverstone bitterly disappointed for the British fans after they witnessed yet another Michael Schumacher masterclass at the British Grand Prix.

After a miserable summer of sport, the expectations of a nation rested on the shoulders of Button, with hopes high the 24-year-old could deliver.

Roared on by a sell-out 100,000 crowd, many waving a St George Cross to match Button's change of helmet design, the BAR star could only manage fourth place at the end of the 60-lap race.

There was understandable dejection at the sight of the all-conquering Schumacher easing to his third victory at Silverstone, his 10th win in 11 races this season, and the 80th of a career which seems certain to include a seventh world title by the end of the year.

Unlike at six previous grands prix this season when Ferrari have finished one-two, on this occasion it was a one-three as Schumacher and team-mate Rubens Barrichello sandwiched McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, whose second place was his best result since the final race of last year in Japan.

The fact Button could not even finish on the podium to give the supporters something to cheer added to his dejection for it was noted post-race he appeared more disappointed than on any other occasion this year.

A sombre Button nodded, and said: "It's disappointing for me, but more so for the fans and the team because I drove my heart out. I couldn't do any more. That was it.

"It's not like I'm going to take it easy in front of my home crowd and in my home grand prix. I gave the maximum I could and I think it showed with where Takuma [Sato] ended up [11th].

"I didn't think we were going to win here anyway. I thought a podium would be possible, and we were almost there, but in real terms we were fourth and quite a way behind the Ferraris and Kimi."

The fear is BAR, who have been by far and away the most improved team this season, have now made as much progress as possible, leaving Ferrari to stretch their advantage, and the likes of McLaren to catch up.

"We've dropped back a bit compared to Ferrari, and obviously McLaren," reflected Button, who is hoping a heart-to-heart within the team will resolve the problem.

"I don't know if we have dropped off or other people have improved. I can't see that we have taken a step backwards, so I think it's more to do with other people having improved their cars throughout the year.

"It's clearly a lot more competitive now. We have to make that step forward, but first look at the reasons why we haven't been able to. I'm sure we'll have a good talk and come to some conclusion."

Button is adamant the BAR star, which has so far shone brightly, will not wane, adding: "We are capable of catching Ferrari.

"We are all very determined to be world champions in the future and to do that we need to keep fighting throughout the year.

"We can make the improvements. It's looking at the reasons why we are not as close to Ferrari as we thought we were."

Attempting to make the most of a seemingly 'bad lot', Button philosophically concluded: "Fourth's not a bad result.

"If we end up coming second in the [constructors'] championship then we will be very happy, but we would rather do it by scoring podiums and fighting the Ferraris and the McLarens now."

Ferrari's strategy, just as it reaped handsome dividends in the French Grand Prix at Magny Cours last week, was again the difference for Schumacher.

Starting from fourth on the grid, behind Raikkonen's pole, Barrichello and Button, the 35-year-old German perfectly executed the team's two-stop plan.

It was only threatened when Jarno Trulli suffered an horrendous accident on lap 41, the rear suspension breaking on his Renault, resulting in the Italian ploughing into a tyre wall at 150mph at Priory.

After pirouetteing on a number of occasions and then barrel-rolling into the gravel, there was little left of the car, but Trulli remarkably emerged unscathed.

Such was the debris, it resulted in the emergence of the safety car for four laps as the marshals cleared the track, in which time Raikkonen, Barrichello and Button all pitted for a necessary third time.

With the field bunched, there was the prospect of a race for the closing 15 laps, but it failed to materialise as Schumacher comfortably took the chequered flag.

"I am amazed at how the race went," reflected Schumacher.

"I thought we had a good strategy, where to a certain extent we sacrificed qualifying for the race, but I never expected it to pay out so early.

"I was not worried by Kimi's pace at the start because I knew my strategy and even if he had been ahead after my second stop, I would not have been worried as he had to come in again.

"I did not want to overdo it and just let the potential of the car do the work. I lost a comfortable lead with the safety car, and I was lucky to have two cars between me and Kimi.

"The safety car was going very slowly and after it went in I had to fight hard for a couple of laps until my tyres came good and then I was able to pull out a lead again. It was another good win."

Schumacher now has a 26-point lead over Barrichello in the drivers' championship, with Button strengthening his hold on third, but a further 21 points adrift of the Brazilian.

Juan Pablo Montoya in the BMW Williams, the Sauber of Giancarlo Fisichella, who had started at the back of the grid after requiring an engine change on Saturday, the second McLaren of David Coulthard and Mark Webber in his Jaguar completed the top eight.

In the constructors' championship, Ferrari are 95 points clear of Renault, and such is their dominance if they glean 13 points more than the French marque at the German Grand Prix in a fortnight's time, they will win their sixth successive team title.