British GT: Silverstone 500 and Jenson Button debut live on Sky Sports F1
Jenson Button making GT3 debut in Silverstone 500, the British GT 2020 finale; Watch live on Sky Sports F1 from 12.25pm on Sunday; Four crews gunning for GT3 title ahead of three-hour race, five can win in GT4 class
Sunday 8 November 2020 07:53, UK
The British GT season is set for an epic Silverstone 500 climax this weekend with titles up for grabs and former F1 world champion Jenson Button part of a bumper field - and you can watch the championship's marquee race live on Sky Sports F1.
Live coverage of the ninth and final round of the 2020 campaign - where a number of crews will be vying for their respective GT3 and GT4 crowns - starts with qualifying from 2.55pm on Saturday on Sky F1.
The race programme starts at 12.25pm on Sunday ahead of the three-hour event, which begins at 12.50pm.
Button, the 2009 F1 champion, is making his debut in the series in a one-off entry in a McLaren 720S GT3, entered by his Jenson Team Rocket RJN team with co-owner Chris Buncombe.
That's just one of a season-high 38 cars, with 20 GT3, 13 GT4 and five GTC cars set to compete around the famous Silverstone circuit.
All to play for in Silverstone 500 finale
Four GT3 crews head into the Silverstone 500 with a chance of winning the British GT title, with 37.5 points available for a victory.
Sam De Haan and Patrick Kujala hold the points advantage, but the RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG pair will be forced to take a 10s 'Success Penalty' during their final pit-stop on Sunday after finishing third at the last race.
Barwell Motorsport's Rob Collard and Sandy Mitchell - on 130.5 points and just six behind the leaders - could therefore be ready to pounce with a penalty-free afternoon ahead.
Team-mates Adam Balon and Phil Keen are also in the running (11.5 behind), but - as they come into the race on the back of a victory - will take the maximum 20s pit-stop penalty.
Jenson Team Rocket RJN, meanwhile, will be looking to spring a surprise. James Baldwin and Michael O'Brien are driving the other car entered by Button's outfit, and arrive at Silverstone with a 34-point deficit. They, therefore, have to win and hope for favours elsewhere.
In the GT4 class, just 2.5 points split the TF Sport Aston Martin duo of Jamie Caroline and Daniel Vaughan and HHC McLaren's Jordan Collard and Patrick Matthiesen, although both will take pit-stop penalties.
Three other crews also have chances, with Connor O'Brien and Patrick Kibble the closest challengers, 13 points off top spot.
Sky-backed Mia Flewitt, who races in the GT4 Pro-Am class with team-mate Euan Hankey, have already wrapped up class honours for this season but face extra competition at Silverstone from non-points-scoring race-only entries
How will Button fare?
Button, who has competed in a number of racing series since leaving the F1 grid in 2017, will not be able to score points on his GT3 debut - nor will his final position have a bearing on the chances of others around him.
But he will still hope to battle for a strong standalone result.
The 40-year-old and Sky Sports F1 pundit will be racing with friend and team co-owner Buncombe, and the pair come into the blue-riband event on the back of just a single day of McLaren 720s GT3 testing in October.
There are three mandatory pit-stops for the Silverstone 500, with drivers swapping over during each stop.
