LONDON, July 16: Lewis Hamilton can crack Formula One’s three-way deadlock and break free of his Ferrari rivals in Germany this weekend by winning McLaren’s second home grand prix in as many races.

The 23-year-old Briton, utterly dominant at Silverstone two weeks ago, arrives in Hockenheim as championship leader but level on 48 points with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen.

The circuit is home for McLaren partners Mercedes, with thousands of the Stuttgart carmaker’s employees in the crowd and watching from their own grandstand.

Hamilton has never raced a Formula One car there before, with the Nuerburgring hosting Germany’s only round as the European Grand Prix in his rookie season last year, but he was fastest on both his days of testing at the track last week.

“Of course I want to do well here,” he said. “The support we get in Germany is amazing and it would be great to have a one-two.”

That would make up for some of the disappointments of the past, with McLaren’s last win at Hockenheim coming a decade ago with Finland’s Mika Hakkinen in 1998.

The team’s last two appearances there have been disappointing, with Hakkinen’s compatriot Kimi Raikkonen starting both times on pole but failing to win either.—Reuters

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