Formula One 'Iceman' Kimi Raikkonen raised struggling McLaren's spirits with the fastest time in practice for Sunday's European Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old Finn has scored just one point in six races so far this season but his lap of one minute 29.355 seconds in today's second one-hour session was a boost for engine partners Mercedes in front of their home crowd.
Raikkonen, last year's championship runner-up, holds the Nuerburgring's race lap record and also took the first pole position of his Formula One career in the Eifel mountains last year with a time of 1:31.523.
His lead in that race was ended when his engine blew and he has finished only twice so far in 2004 after being plagued by further failures.
Briton Jenson Button, who celebrated his fourth podium of the year when he finished second in last Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix, was second fastest for BAR in the afternoon session. But Button's time was still slower than the morning's fastest lap of 1:29.447 set by BAR's British test and reserve driver Anthony Davidson.
Ralf Schumacher, last year's winner for Williams at the Nuerburgring, and Raikkonen's Scottish team mate David Coulthard followed on the timesheets in a second session dominated by teams with Michelin tyres.
While Ferrari's six-times world champion Michael Schumacher was second quickest in the morning, he was ninth in the afternoon as he prepared for what he hopes will be a triumphant homecoming on Sunday.
Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, Schumacher's Ferrari team mate, was sixth and the only other driver on Bridgestone tyres in the top 10. Schumacher, who equalled Formula One's best start to a season by winning the first five races, crashed in Monaco last Sunday after a collision with Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya's Williams in the tunnel behind the safety car.
Davidson's performance will have done his profile no harm, with Button adding his voice to those calling for him to get a race drive next year.
"Anthony deserves a race seat, he's proved he's quick and I think in a race situation he would be good," said Button, a former karting rival. "He wouldn't change as some drivers do when they get into a race situation."
The test driver does not, however, have to worry about preserving his engine in the same way as race drivers, limited to one per weekend, do and is often working to a different programme with more laps.
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella lost 10 places on the grid before he had completed a lap as his Sauber needed a replacement engine. New rules introduced this season to cut costs limit drivers to one engine per weekend with drivers penalised for every replacement.
Champions Ferrari, who have won three of the last four European Grands Prix, started the day with a minute's silence after the death of Umberto Agnelli, chairman of the team's FIAT parent company.
Today's free practice times:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren 1:29.355
2. Jenson Button (GB) BAR 1:29.618
3. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Williams1:29.677
4. David Coulthard (GB) McLaren 1:29.700
5. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Renault 1:29.919
6. Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Ferrari 1:29.943
*7. Anthony Davidson (GB) BAR 1:30.028
8. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:30.163
9. Michael Schumacher (Ger Ferrari 1:30.227
10. Takuma Sato (Jpn) BAR 1:30.283
11. Juan Pablo Montoya (Col) Williams 1:30.337
12. Mark Webber (Aus) Jaguar 1:30.466
13. Olivier Panis (Fra) Toyota 1:30.497
14. Cristiano Da Matta (Brz) Toyota 1:30.531
*15. Ricardo Zonta (Brz) Toyota 1:30.949
16. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Sauber 1:30.974
*17. Bjorn Wirdheim (Swe) Jaguar 1:31.780
*18. Timo Glock (Ger) Jordan 1:32.080
19. Christian Klien (Aut) Jaguar 1:32.217
20. Felipe Massa (Brz) Sauber 1:32.310
21. Gianmaria Bruni (Ita) Minardi 1:32.643
22. Zsolt Baumgartner (Hun) Minardi 1:32.986
23. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Jordan 1:33.175
24. Giorgio Pantano (Ita) Jordan 1:33.393
*25. Bas Leinders (Bel) Minardi 1:34.538
* denotes test drivers who will not race.