Friday Second Free Practice

Michael Schumacher soared to the top of the timesheets as the opening day of practice on the new Hockenheim circuit concluded with another one-two finish for his all-conquering Ferrari team.

Schumacher and second-placed teammate Rubens Barrichello excelled as the entire field of Formula One drivers had their first experience of the newly-developed and significantly-shortened circuit.

Newly-crowned World Champion Schumacher set a time of 1:16.086 with five minutes of the afternoon session to go, beating Barrichello's 1:16.248 set in the morning practice hour.

The McLaren-Mercedes pair of Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard delighted their German engine suppliers by finishing third and fourth respectively, both within four tenths of a second of Schumacher's time

German Ralf Schumacher was fourth in the first of the Williams-BMW machines, but he was more than eight tenths of a second off the lead pace, while Ulsterman Eddie Irvine finished sixth for Jaguar, but was a further two tenths slower.

Juan Pablo Montoya was seventh in the second Williams with Felipe Massa eighth for Sauber and Allan McNish ninth in the lead Toyota, some six tenths faster than his 18th placed Finnish teammate Mika Salo.

Both Arrows cars completed a full Friday of practice for the first time since they were last in Germany, for the European Grand Prix, three races ago, with German Heinz-Harald Frentzen finishing 10th with Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi 11th.

Jordan's Japanese driver Takuma Sato and Malaysian Alex Yoong both spun early in the session, and the latter was forced to end his practice after his Minardi became beached on a kerb.

Schumacher also had a brief spin, as did Raikkonen and Montoya as all drivers explored the limits of car set-up on the new circuit. Frenchman Olivier Panis, of British American Racing Honda and Italians Jarno Trulli, of Renault and Giancarlo Fisichella, of Jordan, both stopped out on the track.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:16.086 216.418 km/h 45 2. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:16.248 + 0.162 49 3. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:16.344 + 0.258 34 4. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:16.440 + 0.354 29 5. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:16.934 + 0.848 48 6. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:17.136 + 1.050 38 7. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:17.187 + 1.101 49 8. Massa Sauber Petronas (B) 1:17.361 + 1.275 47 9. McNish Toyota (M) 1:17.422 + 1.336 46 10. Frentzen Arrows Cosworth (B) 1:17.471 + 1.385 39 11. Bernoldi Arrows Cosworth (B) 1:17.481 + 1.395 39 12. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:17.482 + 1.396 34 13. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:17.573 + 1.487 45 14. Sato Jordan Honda (B) 1:17.684 + 1.598 49 15. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:17.732 + 1.646 25 16. Fisichella Jordan Honda (B) 1:17.805 + 1.719 33 17. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:17.954 + 1.868 52 18. Salo Toyota (M) 1:18.023 + 1.937 44 19. Button Renault (M) 1:18.211 + 2.125 44 20. Trulli Renault (M) 1:18.658 + 2.572 25 21. Webber Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:19.594 + 3.508 32 22. Yoong Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:20.164 + 4.078 29 All Timing Unofficial