Michael Schumacher out to reward home fans in the German Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher says Mercedes has sets it sights on giving its home fans something to cheer about in the German Grand Prix - as it heads to Hockenheim confident about its chances

Despite failing to capitalise on a second-row grid slot in Silverstone last weekend, Schumacher believes that his team should be stronger next time out with the long straights and tight corners perfectly suited for the W03.

"This year is the first time that our Mercedes works team has been capable of racing right at the front, and because of that, we're hoping for lots of support from the fans and to reward them with our performance," said Schumacher

"Hopefully we will see a lot of Mercedes colleagues in the grandstands, and we want to do particularly well for them. We have set ourselves the clear target of giving everybody a reason to celebrate next weekend."

Team principal Ross Brawn says the important thing for Mercedes is to rediscover the previous consistency in its performance, on the back of its struggles in Britain.

"Our performance has been up and down recently, ranging from podiums to lower points finishes, and we need to work hard to improve our level of consistency and ability to challenge at the front of the field," he said.

"The Hockenheim layout should be more suited to the F1 W03 than the high-speed Silverstone layout, and we are bringing some further improvements to the car which should help our performance. It would be very special to achieve a good result in Germany, so we will be working hard to achieve just that."