The German Grand Prix returns to the F1 calendar this weekend following a year away, and as McLaren-Mercedes, Ferrari and BMW-Sauber bid to do battle for glory at Hockenheim, who will kick off the second part of the 2008 season on top..?

The German Grand Prix not only marks the beginning of the second half of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship campaign, but also a return to Hockenheim, after the venue was skipped last year following the agreement to alternate the event between the Baden-Württemberg circuit and the Nürburgring.

With no fewer than five German drivers - or a quarter of the F1 grid - this year, the partisan supporters will certainly have plenty to cheer about, but in reality only one of them is likely to have a realistic shot at victory - and a tenuous shot at that.

The more sensible money will doubtless be going on McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari, with the former seemingly having stolen a march on the early-season pace-setters, on the back of two successes - Monaco and Britain - in the last four races to Ferrari's one, in France.

Lewis Hamilton in particular is riding the crest of a wave right now, following his spellbinding performance in the British Grand Prix just under a fortnight ago that vaulted him back to the top of the drivers' points table.

The young Briton was also quickest of all in pre-event testing at Hockenheim last week, and must surely fancy his chances of making it three wins from five races, whilst team-mate Heikki Kovalainen was similarly buoyed by securing the maiden pole position of his fledgling career in the top flight at Silverstone, and is hopeful that his appalling luck from the first half of the season has finally turned.

Over in the Ferrari camp, meanwhile, pressure is high to avoid the kind of errors that so badly compromised the Scuderia's British Grand Prix showing, with a misguided strategy and mistakes from both the pit wall and drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa seeing the pair endure seven spins between them (two for the Finn, five for the Brazilian) en route to respectively fourth and 13th spots at the chequered flag.

If Maranello is to retain both its drivers' and constructors' world crowns, such mistakes cannot be permitted to crop up again, and the team at least has the psychological advantage over its Woking rivals of having prevailed five times in the last eight outings at Hockenheim - to McLaren's none.

BMW-Sauber's form has taken something of a nosedive in recent weeks - despite the fact that the Munich and Hinwil-based outfit still sits in second position in the constructors' table, 14 points adrift of Ferrari and ten ahead of McLaren - and this weekend will likely provide the litmus test to see whether Nick Heidfeld's Silverstone podium was a sign of return to form or merely a weather-aided flash in the pan.

The race marks a home meeting for both BMW and Heidfeld - keen to prove that he is solidly back on the right track again now following a troubled start to the campaign - whilst Kubica, who made his debut in the uppermost echelon just seven days after the last grand prix held at Hockenheim two years ago, will be bidding to regain control of the drivers' standings.

The battle for the remaining four places in the top ten is likely to be fought out once again between Red Bull Racing, Toyota, Renault and Williams. Red Bull has twice scored at Hockenheim in three years, and is currently staking a claim to be 'best-of-the-rest' behind the sport's 'big three' teams.

Mark Webber has only failed to score on three occasions this year, whilst team-mate David Coulthard will be entering the final German Grand Prix of his 15-year-career in F1, and boasts a strong record there, with no fewer than four rostrum appearances and five further points finishes. On the back of his crushing Silverstone disappointment - being forced to retire on the opening lap in front of his home supporters - the experienced Scot will be hoping to add one final points-scoring performance in Germany to his impressive résumé before he signs off at the end of the campaign.

For Toyota, meanwhile, the event marks something of a second 'home' race, with the squad's factory based less than two hours away in nearby Cologne. Timo Glock will be aiming to shine in front of the partisan crowd by taking his second points-scoring result of the season, whilst team-mate Jarno Trulli is displaying particularly impressive form in 2008 so far, proving to be a model of consistency. Should the Japanese concern's showing be closer to that of Magny-Cours than Silverstone, the Italian - a veteran of close on 200 grand prix starts - can certainly not be discounted from the battle for points, and perhaps not even that for the podium.

Whilst seeming to have the necessary pace - both double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso and rapidly-improving rookie Nelsinho Piquet featuring well up the order at times during the rain-lashed race at Silverstone - Renault has struggled for reliability this year, prioritising the push for performance over the security of being around when the chequered flag falls. Alonso triumphed at Hockenheim in 2005, though, and should the Régie's reliability remain intact this weekend, a return to the podium three years on is not out of the question.

Williams seems to have fallen to the back of the midfield group as the campaign has progressed and its rivals have advanced, but the German Grand Prix marks the home event for Nico Rosberg, who is desperate to add to his three points-scoring finishes from the season so far.

The 23-year-old will doubtless be giving it his all to replicate his rostrum flourish from the Melbourne curtain-raiser Down Under back in March, as he urges the multiple championship-winning Grove-based outfit to up its game. Team-mate Kazuki Nakajima, for his part, will be making his debut in the race this year, and has been quietly impressive so far in 2008, notching up four top eight finishes from nine starts.

Honda - Rubens Barrichello's inspired Silverstone podium notwithstanding - seem to lack the necessary pace to challenge the cars ahead, meaning the Brazilian and Jenson Button look to be in for another frustrating weekend in Germany, what has become for the experienced duo an all-too regular occurrence over the opening half of 2008.

The Brackley-based squad, indeed, is likely to be battling it out with Scuderia Toro Rosso to escape the dreaded Q1 drop in qualifying - though Sebastian Vettel for the latter will surely be spurred on both by having the support of his home fans behind him, and also the knowledge that he now has a Red Bull Racing contract safely in his pocket for 2009 [see separate story - click here]. STR team-mate Sébastien Bourdais will be beginning his first German Grand Prix, and is understandably keen to benefit from better luck than has thus far been the case in his fledgling career in the top flight.

Bringing up the rear again, finally, will probably be Force India, with little hope for either the experienced Giancarlo Fisichella or home hero Adrian Sutil to shine - unless, as in Monaco or Silverstone, the heavens open. All hope may not yet be lost for the perennial tail-enders, however - the forecast for the weekend is mixed, to say the least...

by Russell Atkins