By Matt Majendie

Button has endured a poor start to his 2006 season to date

Former world champion Nigel Mansell believes Jenson Button is on the verge of breaking his duck and will go on to become Britain's next world champion.

The 26-year-old racer has yet to win a Grand Prix in 106 starts and has endured a miserable 2006 season.

But Mansell told BBC Sport: "I've no doubt Jenson will get the monkey off his back this year.

"By the end of the year he'll have won at least one race and hopefully a number of them."

Button's Honda team have struggled this season.

The Briton, who had been plagued by tyre problems throughout the Australian Grand Prix earlier this month, exited the race in the dying metres when his engine blew.

Do I think he could get the right package to be world champion, then yes Nigel Mansell

And at Imola last weekend he had to settle for seventh place after a pit-stop blunder ended his hopes of finishing on the podium.

"Getting pole this year in Australia was fabulous and obviously the car is quick," said Mansell. "But Honda's reliability has come into question and the set-up of the car is suspect in certain times of the race."

Feature: Mansell ready to race again

The 52-year-old, who sealed his only world title for Williams in 1992 and will return to race action at the Grand Prix Masters - for ex-F1 racers over 45 - in Qatar on Saturday, believes Button has the makings of an F1 superstar.

"But until he wins and wins consistently being a world champion is something else," said Mansell. "Do I think he could get the right package and have the right opportunity to be world champion, then yes.

"I hope he does it - it's about time we had another world champion in England.

"Jenson with the right car has got to get it together and I think a win should only be just around the corner - I hope sincerely for the fans that'll be the case.

"But he's like a number of F1 drivers - on his day and in certain parts of any race he's fantastic. He just needs to give it 100% all of the time."