Vettel keen for wet Race of Champions

The German, who became Formula One's youngest ever winner at a wet Monza in September, won the Nations Cup alongside Michael Schumacher for Team Germany in last year's event, and believes wet weather could play into his hands.

"I was surprised how tight the circuit is and this year it seems to be wet, which maybe is an extra plus for me.

"It's very special to race in the stadium, last year's crowd was amazing and this year I think there are more. Fortunately we are running in the right country so there is no excuse for anyone because it rains here all the time!"

The circuit was very wet for today's practice sessions and several drivers had crashes during their first runs in each car - including Jenson Button, who hit the wall in the KTM X-Bow.

NASCAR Sprint Cup runner-up Carl Edwards was grateful for the opportunity to practice in the difficult conditions today, having only raced in the wet once this year.

"It's definitely wet," he said. "The only time we raced in the wet recently (in NASCAR) was at Montreal, and it was ugly - we weren't fast, but it was fun!"

Live coverage of the Race of Champions and Nations Cup will be broadcast on autosport.com.