Schumacher eager to reward Mercedes staff

Schumacher would like nothing better than to win in Germany

Michael Schumacher is fully focused on achieving a strong home result as the Formula 1 fraternity travels to Hockenheim next week, with the seven-time World Champion hoping to give 'everybody a reason to celebrate' at Mercedes.

The 43-year-old, who celebrated the first podium finish of his return to the sport in Valencia two races ago, hopes to fully exploit the performance of a front-running car.

"People often ask me whether there is any such thing as a home advantage in such an international sport as ours and my answer is: perhaps not a home advantage, but certainly a home-race feeling," said the German, who has won four races at Hockenheim.

"As a German, you naturally have a different sense of excitement when you arrive at the German Grand Prix and know that all the spectators in the grandstands are supporting you. That makes you proud, and always boosts your motivation even higher."

Schumacher's two official home races since returning in 2010 have failed to produce more than an eighth place finish, a statistic he is aiming to change this time out.

"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," he added of the team's potential.

"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."

After nine races, Schumacher sits 12th in the standings with a total of 23 points