By Ian Lockwood
July 22 2011

Mark’s career is inextricably linked to the Nurburgring, scene of this weekend’s German Grand Prix. He drove many laps of the 5.148km track as a Mercedes sportscar driver and it was here, in 2009, that he won his first Formula One race.

“I have pretty good memories of this place,” says Mark. “It was here in 2007 that I scored my first F1 podium for Red Bull and I scored the first win in ’09. That was a very special day, one that I’ll never forget.

“I seem to go well here and I’m looking forward to the weekend ahead. We know that the weather in the Eiffel Mountains can be changeable and that’s reflected in the weather forecasts we’re getting for the next three days. But it’ll be the same for everyone and we’ll probably have to think on our feet in terms of tyre choice. It’s going to be interesting.”

Mark enters the race lying second in the world championship, having finished third in the last three races. He has 21 points more than at the same stage of the 2010 season, but he’s taking nothing for granted.

“Ferrari are going to be strong here,” he says, “and you can never discount McLaren. Both are phenomenal teams, but come race-day we’re usually doing okay. I hope to be at the sharp end come Sunday afternoon.”

Following a weekend of negotiation at Silverstone a fortnight ago, the engine regulations are reverting to the specification they were in at Valencia two races ago. Off-throttle diffusers are permitted once again, but the engine maps have to remain unchanged between qualifying and the race.

“Sebastian and I finished on the podium at Valencia and at Silverstone,” says Mark, “so we’ve proved that we can be competitive in both engines modes. I don’t expect this latest change to affect our competitiveness, but you can never be sure until you start running.

“Seb and I finished together at Silverstone (second and third), but Fernando [Alonso] was well down the road and I think that would have happened irrespective of the engine regulation. You’ve got to remember that Fernando was quick in Valencia as well, so I think their pace is genuine. They’ll be on it here too.”