Mercedes GP start the first of their home Grands Prix with much to do to reclaim their status as a front-runner in Formula One.

Two poor outings in Montreal and Valencia has seen the Silver Arrows slip down the grid into battles with Force India, Williams and Toro Rosso. They expected to be fighting with McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari at the start of the season.

But with the race taking place in-between the two factories at Brixworth and Brackley it allows the drivers a chance to mingle with the factory workers and boost morale and spirit. New updates will travel the short distance to the circuit as well as the team look to get their season back on track.

Ross Brawn is more used to being at the front rather than the mid-field but he is staying positive as the season progresses.

“We’ve had a challenging time over the recent race weekends but we retain our motivation and are working hard to improve our performance and maximise the potential which can be taken from our latest upgrades,” said the 55-year-old.

“It’s a long, hard road ahead but we are confident that we will get there.”

Michael Schumacher has three victories at Silverstone – all in even numbered years, if any fans of omens are interested – though it was the scene of his crash which left him with a broken leg.

Even so, the seven-time World Champions is looking forward to visiting the track again.

“I have a lot of different and mostly nice memories of Silverstone and therefore I am obviously very much looking forward to travelling there,” he said.

“It’s a special race for us as it is so close to everyone at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth, who are all working like hell to make up for the quite difficult start to the season that we have experienced.”

Nico Rosberg has enjoyed a more successful season than his team-mate so far but has fallen too far behind the other contenders in the Drivers’ Championship. He may win a World Championship one day, but it won’t be this season.

His job is to now finish the Mercedes car as high up the grid as possible. A repeat of his 5^th place-finish last year – in a Williams – would be accepted by everyone in the team.

They will hope to beat Renault through the weekend to keep their advantage in fourth-place in the Constructors’ Championship but getting both cars through to the last qualifying session and two top-ten finishes would be a step back in the right direction.

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