While McLaren is some way behind Williams and Force India in the constructors’ table, the Woking team’s improved form means that the three teams are likely to be competing on track for the rest of the season.

Hulkenberg says he’s looking forward to the fight with Williams for fourth place. “Very much, and also McLaren from my point of view,” he said in Germany.

“I’ve seen Jenson [Button] a fair bit in my mirror today, and I have to say the car looks pretty good.

"I expect a really tight battle between the three of us from now until the end of the season, so I think it’s going to be quite intense now.”

At Hockenheim, Hulkenberg scored crucial points for Force India finishing seventh and cut the constructors’ gap to just 15 when he passed Valtteri Bottas after the Finn’s two-stop strategy proved unsuccessful.

“Tyre degradation was really high, so you had to do a lot of managing on the tyres, so it was a bit extreme at that moment," added the German.

"But it was a solid race from my side.

"We didn’t get the Williams at the start, but we managed to get him in the end through strategy, and with some help from Williams there, they helped us slightly also!

"A fairly straightforward and lonely race most of the time.”

Hulkenberg insisted he wasn’t disappointed about not being able to challenge Ferrari in the race, despite practice form suggesting that was possible.

“I’ve seen it as well on Friday, things looked close, but they always have something in the pocket, and come race day there’s always something they can ask for and have and we don’t, basically," he said.

"I wasn’t expecting to be up there with them.”