Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insists that despite recent setbacks which have cost the team its lead in the drivers and constructors championships, the W09 is still the fastest car on the grid.

"We didn't score as many points in the triple-header as we had hoped for," Wolff admitted. "A lot of that was down to our own mistakes.

"However, there is a silver lining to this: while we didn't maximise on points, we did bring the quickest car to all three races."

Wolff believes that this puts the Silver Arrows in a good position heading into the second half of the 2018 season. This weekend's German Grand Prix marks the midway point of the current campaign.

"We've had a decent first half," he said of the year to date. "On the one hand, we've left points on the table and had to do damage limitation more often than we would have wanted.

"On the other hand, we still scored a good amount of points, both drivers have shown strong performances and we have a fast car.

"So there are many reasons why we're looking forward to the second half of the 2018 season," he said. "We're hungry, ambitious and want to kick on from here.

"Going to Hockenheim always feels like coming home; it's only about a 90 minute drive from the Daimler headquarters in Stuttgart," he pointed out.

"While we had the great opportunity to race in front of many of our colleagues from Brackley and Brixworth in Silverstone, we're now looking forward to welcoming the German members of the Mercedes family to the circuit.

"We will fight hard to not only put on a good show for our friends and fans in Hockenheim, but also get the result that they will be hoping for."

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