Saturday First Free Practice - German GP

Michael Schumacher delighted the Hockenheim crowd and delivered what they had been waiting for as he powered to the quickest time in Saturday's first free practice for the German Grand Prix.

German Schumacher set the fastest time just over 20 minutes into the session and continued to better it as the rest of the field tried in vain to keep up with the man who has won just once at his home race.

Schumacher was followed in the times by his Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello and brother Ralf Schumacher in a Williams as McLaren duo David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen failed to match their pace.

The session went badly for Hakkinen as the McLaren driver stopped in the pit-lane on two separate attempts to get out on track and needed to be wheeled back to his garage by mechanics.

Jenson Button also suffered an early setback as his Benetton stopped on track, just after the Senna chicane, and he was forced to make his way back to the pits without a lap completed.

Ricardo Zonta, in at Jordan for the sacked Heinz-Harald Frentzen, sat at the top of the time sheets early on, but then also broke down on track 18 minutes into the session, failed to re-appear, and dropped down the order to finish 14th.

Coulthard set the early pace in his McLaren, but he was soon caught and overtaken in the times by Ferrari's Barrichello and Williams' Juan Pablo Montoya.

The Jaguars of Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa were also on the pace again after their impressive displays in Friday practice.

Hakkinen eventually got out on track with 15 minutes of the session remaining but in his first attempt at a flying lap he ran wide at the Agip Kurve, went across gravel and grass, and was forced to pit again with a lap time 10 seconds slower than the leaders.

Hakkinen eventually set a quick time but he was left to settle for sixth in the times and to hope that he and Coulthard, who finished the session fifth, could improve in time for qualifying.

Pos Driver Team Times 1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:39.937 245.855 km/h 2. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:40.436 + 0.499 3. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:40.457 + 0.520 4. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:40.661 + 0.724 5. Coulthard Mclaren Mercedes (B) 1:40.697 + 0.760 6. Hakkinen Mclaren Mercedes (B) 1:40.905 + 0.968 7. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:41.520 + 1.583 8. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:41.683 + 1.746 9. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:41.693 + 1.756 10. Raikkonen Sauber Petronas (B) 1:41.833 + 1.896 11. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:41.839 + 1.902 12. Trulli Jordan Honda (B) 1:41.887 + 1.950 13. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:42.417 + 2.480 14. Zonta Jordan Honda (B) 1:42.424 + 2.487 15. Bernoldi Arrows Asiatech (B) 1:42.492 + 2.555 16. Verstappen Arrows Asiatech (B) 1:42.580 + 2.643 17. Alesi Prost Acer (M) 1:42.964 + 3.027 18. Fisichella Benetton Renault (M) 1:43.256 + 3.319 19. Burti Prost Acer (M) 1:43.356 + 3.419 20. Alonso Minardi European (M) 1:44.574 + 4.637 21. Marques Minardi European (M) 1:45.406 + 5.469 22. Button Benetton Renault (M) no time All Timing Unofficial