Richards promises even more

"With the Nurburgring following straight on from Monaco," said Richards, "we will carry forward our momentum and high spirit into Germany. However, I suspect that our challenge will be even greater and that those who failed in Monte Carlo will be keen to redress the balance. We have now shown that no matter what the type of circuit, we have a car and a team capable of taking on the very best."

Button says that he and team are well-prepared for the race. "We have done a lot of testing at Paul Ricard and Barcelona," he said. "Also we have a good car that should suit the Nurburgring circuit well. It's a track I enjoy, particularly because of its high speed corners and undulations. I have gone very well there over the last couple of years so I am really looking forward to it and can't wait to start running on Friday morning."

Takuma Sato made his European race debut at the Nurburgring in Formula Opel and particularly likes the track. "I have lots of good memories of the circuit," said the Japanese driver.

"This is a great track for me, with some high-speed technical corners and I like the way the track goes up and down hill. The Monaco GP was very disappointing for me personally but we know that our pace and performance are at a very high level, so I am very much looking forward to returning to the Nurburgring this weekend."