Friday practice at Hockenheim gets under way amid overcast, wet conditions - promising a tricky first session for all 12 teams and 24 drivers ahead of the German Grand Prix as the championship reaches its halfway point
Ferrari get Felipe Massa out on the particularly wet circuit early in the session as they assess performance and adjustments, but the Brazilian struggles as much as anyone in finding the limits of grip
It leads to Massa spinning off the track several times, twice finding the trackside gravel, as the Brazilian comes to terms with the slippery conditions
Red Bull pair Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel put on a far more harmonious front than the one displayed during and after the Australian's win at Silverstone, though, and once again their pace looks extremely fast
Jenson Button, however, is not happy with his McLaren - despite the car's new blown rear diffuser and the third fastest lap of the session on the track - and complains of poor rear stability
Button fares far better than his McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton, though. The 2008 champion spins off at Turn Three and lands his car in the barrier, causing severe damage and ending his session after just eight laps
Bruno Senna, too, has grip issues in his Hispania - and one spill into the gravel too many sees him forced to abandon his car by the track at the last corner, before it is hauled back to the pits by crane
But there are few such problems for Adrian Sutil, who handles his Force India very nicely indeed around an increasingly dry Hockenheim circuit on his way to posting the fastest time of the session with a 1:25.701
The second session gets under way in similarly damp conditions, but Mercedes take the chance to impress early on, with Michael Schumacher - unusually for this campaign - outstripping team-mate Nico Rosberg
Soon enough, though, it becomes clear that once again the Red Bulls will possibly be the team to beat come Sunday's race with both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber putting in fast laps
Lewis Hamilton has far less time on the track as a result of his first session crash, but he does emerge for the last 12 minutes before putting in 10 laps - finishing the day with the seventh fastest time on the board
However, it is Fernando Alonso who earns the honour of fastest circuit on the timings, prompting guest BBC pundit Karun Chandhok to predict a three-horse race between Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren for race honours
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