Lewis Hamilton was downbeat as his nightmare 2009 season continued with a morale-sapping result in the British Grand Prix.

Just 11 months on from having the F1 world in the palm of his hand with a mesmeric drive to victory in last year's rain-lashed race, the reigning champion came down to earth with a resounding bump today as he ducked and weaved his ill-handling McLaren to a humbling 16th place, a lap behind race winner Sebastian Vettel.

Poor results may have become the norm for Hamilton this season after his team lost their way with the design of their 2009 challenger over the winter, but saving arguably his worst display of the season for his home event will have been particularly tough to take.

Not that Hamilton did not try, however. Indeed, he was predictably at the heart of some of the best racing action of the afternoon as he diced with two-time world champion and former McLaren rival Fernando Alonso for large portions of the 60-lap race.

That two world champions were fighting over the scraps in the lower half of the grid underlined the remarkable revolution F1 has experienced this year.

While debate over the future of the sport may be raging off the track, on it there has been much to appreciate, not least the emergence of new front-runners, typified by today's race-winner Vettel, who led home an imperious one-two for Red Bull Racing to increase the pressure on championship leader Jenson Button, who came home in sixth.

Talk of a title battle was the furthest thing from Hamilton's mind today, however, and he gave a gloomy assessment of his Silverstone weekend when quizzed after the race.

"It doesn't feel great," he admitted. "I had to push and push and push and push, but when there's no more you can get from the car, it's inevitable that you are going to finish in that [low] position.

"You are starting the race knowing how it is, so you just try to have some fun. It wasn't a great day, but what can I do? I pushed as hard as I could, I did absolutely everything."

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After lining up 18th on the grid after a disastrous qualifying session yesterday, Hamilton did what he could off the line to make up ground on his rivals, ending the opening lap in 15th place.

A dice with BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica - another man down on his luck after the highs of 2008 - ended with Hamilton taking to the grass on the entry to the Hangar Straight, while the Briton found himself in the thick of the action again after the first round of pit stops, battling with Nick Heidfeld into Maggotts before putting a great move on Alonso's Renault going into Copse only to lose the place further round the lap.

Another spin after putting a wheel on the grass on the entry to Vale summed up Hamilton's erratic afternoon, although the 120,000-strong Silverstone crowd went away in no doubt that the McLaren driver had been performing at the limit.

"I gave it my all today," Hamilton added. "It's still a proud day to be able to represent my country.

"I want to say a huge thank you to the fans. This is the best weekend. It's been the biggest crowd for a long long time, and really due to them, all the support, all the noise they make, all the cheering, that's helped to carry me through the weekend. I hope they know that I pushed my hardest and I'll bring it back to them one day."

Hamilton added that he does not expect to see an improvement in his car before the next round at the Nurburgring on July 12, saying: "I have to remain optimistic, but I don't think so."

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