Mercedes and BMW have no illusions at home race (News Feature)

By Claas Hennig and Christian Hollmann Jul 7, 2009, 9:40 GMT

   Stuttgart - Mercedes and BMW have no illusions ahead of Sunday's German home Grand Prix as they brace themselves for another disappointing result.

The 2009 Formula One season has so far been a nightmare for both German car makers and their partners, with no turnaround in sight at the Nuerburgring.

McLaren-Mercedes are sixth in the constructors list with 13 points, a massive 102 points behind runaway leaders Brawn GP (105). BMW-Sauber are even worse off with eight points for eighth place.

Neither team has made the podium in eight season races so far.

'Unfortunately we won't be ready for victory at the Nuerburgring in 2009,' Mercedes motorsport chief Norbert Haug told the German Press Agency dpa. 'No one is happy when we don't win.'

McLaren-Mercedes won the last two races in Germany from Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, and Hamilton also went on to lift the world title last year.

Mercedes would have loved a third win in a row to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first outing of the famed Silver Arrows at the Nuergburgring, but the car is simply not competitive.

However, Hamilton is yet to throw in the towel.

'I'm still looking forward to the race. It's an honour to be part of the Silver Arrows and, while our results haven't recently shown it, we're still pushing incredibly hard and are all hopeful of moving closer to the front before the end of this difficult season,' he said.

McLaren-Mercedes will aim to further improve the car as the season progresses, and so will BMW who are also miles away from the self-proclaimed season aim of fighting for the world title.

The 2009 slump came unexpected for the team and its drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld, who finished fourth and sixth, respectively, in the final 2008 standings.

'After three vastly successful years we are for the first time not meeting our goals in 2009,' said BMW motorsport boss Mario Theissen.

The team still hopes for a better second half of the season as it aims to overcome multiple problems ranging from tyres to aerodynamics.

A decent result on Sunday would raise morale in the team, and also among its large number of fans due to to attend the race.

'This is just the right time to put in a strong performance and record a good result,' said Kubica. 'However, I have to admit that the track itself is not one of my favourites.'