Copyright by FOM
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Hamilton goes into the German Grand Prix – rotating back to the Nurburgring after it was held at Hockenheim last year – 11th in the World Championship, with the MP4-24 failing to match up to some of the other challengers, most notably the Brawn of compatriot Jenson Button.
He has finished 16th, 13th and 12th in his last three races.

“The last time we raced at the Nurburgring was in 2007, and I remember I had a tough afternoon battling through from the back of the field to finish just outside the points,” he said.

“It’s a fantastic circuit, a little older than a lot of the current tracks we currently visit and with quite a different feel to what we’re used to: it’s fast and flowing with some good spots for overtaking.

“And it’s in a fantastic part of the world too; deep in the forests of western Germany, where the fans seem to live and breathe Formula One. It’s always an amazing party atmosphere whenever we race in Germany.

“While we aren’t expecting any major upgrades for this weekend, I’m still looking forward to the race.

“It’s an honour to be part of the Silver Arrows and, while our results haven’t recently shown it, we’re still pushing incredibly hard and are all hopeful of moving closer to the front before the end of this difficult season.”

The race will mark the end of the traditional mid-season three-week break for testing – although with in-season testing banned, none of the teams have been able to get on track.

Hamilton was runner-up to Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 season but bounced back in 2008, pipping Felipe Massa to the title.

Jonathan Symcox / Eurosport