| 09:50:42
| Welcome to F1-Live.com and live coverage of the German Grand Prix weekend. The first of two 90-minute free practice sessions of the day get underway in a few minutes. |
| 09:52:44
| The big news so far from Hockenheim is that Sebastian Vettel is to join Mark Webber at Red Bull Renault next year. While not a major surprise given the previous announcement that David Coulthard is to retire from Formula One, it takes the spotlight off the ongoing rumours regarding Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica. |
| 09:54:33
| As was the case ahead of the British Grand Prix, the ten teams head into free practice with a good idea as to what to expect as they all tested for three days at the circuit last week. For the record, Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets with a lap of 1:14.872s ahead of Felipe Massa and Jenson Button. |
| 09:56:31
| It was a low-key test from BMW Sauber who set the 12th and 18th best times with Kubica and Nick Heidfeld over the three days. McLaren and Toyota both tested the shark fin engine cover pioneered by Red Bull Renault. |
| 09:58:44
| This morning’s session will see most complete additional tyre evaluations comparing the hard and medium compound tyre on offer from Bridgestone. It is currently a little overcast and overnight rain has left the circuit wet. |
| 10:00:18
| The 90-minute practice session is now underway. |
| 10:00:59
| Sutil is the first driver on track in his Force India Ferrari. They will all complete an installation lap and then pit for checks. |
| 10:01:35
| Others now heading out. The circuit is quite wet as the spray is kicked up. |
| 10:03:58
| The early runners are back in the pits. Button, Glock and Hamilton currently on their first lap of the day. |
| 10:05:14
| A very slow installation lap from Glock. The circuit is wet but little standing water. |
| 10:05:46
| Only Raikkonen, Massa and Barrichello have yet to go out. No times set as yet. |
| 10:07:17
| Trulli has now pitted. No track activity. |
| 10:09:01
| Barrichello heads out in his Honda. |
| 10:11:33
| Most of the drivers are out of the cars. They will be waiting for better track conditions. It is damp online and wet offline at the moment. |
| 10:12:07
| There is now actually a little light rain in the air, so we may well have some time to wait! |
| 10:14:25
| Hamilton heads out in his McLaren. |
| 10:15:49
| Vettel, Trulli, Piquet also now on track. |
| 10:16:09
| Hamilton is on a timed lap now. |
| 10:16:39
| They have probably thought that the conditions are not going to get a lot better so they may as well get on with it. |
| 10:17:01
| Alonso joins Renault team-mate on track. |
| 10:17:54
| Hamilton pits without setting a time. Others in timed laps. |
| 10:18:35
| Piquet records a 1:35s first timed lap of the session. Hamilton straight back out. Kovalainen, Nakajima and others on track. |
| 10:18:59
| Using full wets Vettel moves ahead of Piquet. |
| 10:20:05
| Alonso posts his first lap time. |
| 10:21:06
| Vettel improves on his own best as Hamilton moves second fastest. It is very tricky and low grip at the moment. |
| 10:21:29
| First laps from Nakajima and Kovalainen. |
| 10:21:51
| Alonso moves fastest as Hamilton runs off track. |
| 10:22:25
| Actually, it was a spin for Hamilton who is able to continue. |
| 10:22:59
| Vettel has pitted. Alonso improves his own best and is ahead of Vettel, Piquet and Hamilton. |
| 10:25:16
| Still no sign of Raikkonen or Massa. |
| 10:25:47
| It seems they are all on the intermediate tyre at the moment. Vettel started the session on the full wet. |
| 10:26:27
| Hamilton is now ahead of Alonso at the top of the timesheets as Kovalainen runs off track. |
| 10:26:49
| Sutil has moved third fastest ahead of Nakajima and Vettel. |
| 10:27:52
| Now Alonso regains the fastest time from Hamilton with Kovalainen up to third. The times are coming down so the conditions must be getting better. |
| 10:30:26
| Alonso and Hamilton have both pitted. Sutil is third ahead of Trulli now with Kovalainen sixth. Raikkonen and Massa on track. |
| 10:31:12
| Nakajima improves and is now second fastest behind Alonso. |
| 10:32:00
| Vettel is back out as Massa moves third. A slow first lap from Raikkonen. |
| 10:32:19
| Vettel vaults second fastest. |
| 10:33:05
| Raikkonen improves and is now fourth fastest. |
| 10:33:22
| Massa moves fastest in his Ferrari half a second ahead of Alonso. |
| 10:34:04
| A dry line has now formed on parts of the circuit. |
| 10:34:47
| Raikkonen now P1 ahead of Massa and Alonso. Just Webber and Heidfeld yet to set a time. |
| 10:35:33
| Webber has now set his first time of the session. Heidfeld remains in the pits having completed just an installtion lap. |
| 10:36:41
| Webber moves fourth and Button fifth. |
| 10:37:18
| Raikkonen and Massa continue to improve at the head of the field. |
| 10:38:30
| Massa is now fastest from Raikkonen with Barrichello and Glock moving third and fourth. |
| 10:39:10
| A gain for Bourdais who is now fifth fastest. Raikkonen pits. |
| 10:40:14
| The circuit is close to being dry in parts. Soon they will try the normal dry weather tyres. |
| 10:40:34
| Most have pitted now. Massa, Bourdais and Button on track. |
| 10:41:46
| Parts of the stadium and the start-finish are dry, but the run to the hairpin remains wet. |
| 10:42:51
| Massa is on a much quicker lap. |
| 10:43:33
| Still on the intermediates, Massa finds another second and is now 1.6s ahead of Raikkonen. |
| 10:44:09
| Just Massa, Bourdais and Vettel on track. |
| 10:44:52
| Massa has backed off and is now cruising back to the pits. Bourdais improves and is now fourth fastest. |
| 10:45:05
| Rosberg and Sutil head back out. |
| 10:45:42
| Here we go, Vettel is on dry tyres and he vaults second fastest. |
| 10:46:10
| The others will soon switch to the dry tyre. |
| 10:46:52
| Heidfeld must have a problem on his BMW Sauber. He has yet to set a time. |
| 10:47:18
| Vettel is now fastest on the dry tyre from Massa who is now in the pits. |
| 10:47:56
| Sutil and Rosberg move third and fourth fastest for Force India and Williams. |
| 10:49:06
| Vettel continues to improve at the head of the field. Rosberg was still on the wet rubber and has pitted. |
| 10:49:38
| Fisichella improves and is now third as Vettel picks up another second. |
| 10:51:00
| Vettel was on another fast lap but opts to pit. |
| 10:51:21
| They are all now in the pits and probably switching to the dry tyres and settings. |
| 10:53:04
| Bourdais is now back out. Heidfeld, sporting an all white helmet, is getting ready to go out. |
| 10:53:34
| Bourdais, P8, is now on the dry tyre. |
| 10:55:04
| Trulli heads out in his TF108. |
| 10:55:42
| Getting up to speed and used to the grip, Bourdais moves second fastest to make it a Toro Rosso one-two! |
| 10:56:25
| Heidfeld is out on track having missed the first hour of running. |
| 10:56:53
| Bourdais runs wide at the first turn. |
| 10:57:31
| Adrian Sutil, fifth, is back out in his Force India. |
| 10:57:58
| Trulli moves fourth fastest. |
| 10:58:25
| A much better lap from Bourdais moves him within a tenth of Vettel who remains in the pits. |
| 10:58:39
| Rosberg is back out in his Williams. |
| 10:59:22
| Heidfeld move from 20th to third on his first timed lap. He too of course in now on the dry tyre. |
| 11:00:33
| Sutil has moved fastest now as Bourdais pulls his Toro Rosso off track with a mechanical problem. |
| 11:01:13
| So we have a Force India in P1 ahead of two STR cars. Rosberg has moves fourth fastest. |
| 11:01:56
| Nick Heidfeld improves and is now fastest for BMW Sauber. |
| 11:02:33
| The times are changing rapidly now as Sutil regains the fastest time from Heidfeld and Trulli up to third. |
| 11:03:29
| Glock is now third. Sutil and Heidfeld continue to improve. |
| 11:04:46
| Rosberg and Fisichella are making gains as the times continue to fall. |
| 11:05:52
| Rosberg is now fastest. They are all using the hard compound dry weather tyre. |
| 11:07:03
| Hamilton and Kovalainen are now at the bottom of the timesheets having not run in the dry. |
| 11:07:20
| Glock is now P1 ahead of Rosberg and Heidfeld. |
| 11:08:13
| The circuit is now busy. Most are on track. |
| 11:09:16
| Piquet moves right up the order and is now second. |
| 11:09:36
| Webber is on a hot lap in his Red Bull Renault. |
| 11:10:22
| Webber moves fastest as Massa runs off track but is able to continue. |
| 11:10:53
| Raikkonen is now fastest. Massa is on a better lap this time around too. |
| 11:11:04
| Hamilton, 19th, is back on track. |
| 11:11:25
| All change as Massa is now fastest from Alonso, Webber and Raikkonen. |
| 11:12:25
| Alonso runs off track at the hairpin. |
| 11:13:23
| Massa loses time getting by Trulli at the end of the lap. |
| 11:13:48
| Raikkonen improves and is now fastest with Hamilton up to fourth. |
| 11:14:10
| Coulthard has not been out for ages. He must have a problem with his RB4. |
| 11:14:55
| Hamilton moves P1 but Massa is on a good lap too. |
| 11:15:15
| Massa improves but remains second. |
| 11:16:03
| Kovalainen remains in the pits in P20. Coulthard is now on track. |
| 11:16:49
| Massa finds four-tenths and moves P1 ahead of Hamilton. |
| 11:18:04
| The yellow flags are out as Kubica has spun and gone into the tyres on the entrance into the stadium. |
| 11:18:51
| The back end just came around and he went sideways into the tyre wall after a high speed trip through the gravel. He is okay, some left hand side damage to the BMW Sauber. |
| 11:19:36
| Kubica was 15th at the time and on a better lap. |
| 11:20:05
| Most have now pitted as the yellow remains out. |
| 11:21:34
| The yellows have now been removed. |
| 11:22:01
| Alonso, Rosberg, Barrichello and others on track. |
| 11:22:15
| Kovalainen is back out in his McLaren. |
| 11:22:43
| Barrichello moves fifth in the Honda. |
| 11:23:27
| Kovalainen is now working his way up the order. |
| 11:23:54
| Six minutes remain and most are back out for a final stint. |
| 11:25:24
| Alonso moves fourth. |
| 11:25:58
| Kovalainen is third now ahead of Raikkonen, Vettel and Alonso. |
| 11:26:29
| Massa is still in the pits. |
| 11:27:10
| Sutil locks a brake and runs too deep into the hairpin. |
| 11:27:48
| Massa seems to be ending the session in the pit lane. He is fastest at the moment by two-tenths from Hamilton. |
| 11:28:18
| Kovalainen moves second. |
| 11:28:38
| Webber is also in the pits. |
| 11:29:35
| Massa heads out but too late to get in a timed lap. |
| 11:30:04
| The chequered flag is out. |
| 11:30:56
| Kovalainen moves fastest for McLaren. |
| 11:31:26
| Now Hamilton is fastest right at the end of the session. |
| 11:32:38
| So Hamilton sets the morning pace from Kovalainen, Massa, Alonso, Raikkonen, Rosberg, Vettel and Heidfeld. |
