Hamilton on top in Nurburgring drizzle

Lewis Hamilton made a cameo at the top of the Friday time sheets, heading the second practice session at the cold Nurburgring with almost certainly only a sniff of fuel aboard his McLaren.

The reigning world champion was a couple of tenths quicker than the 2009 contenders Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button, followed by the fastest man of the earlier morning session, Red Bull's Mark Webber.

The final 90-minute session of the day was staged under ominously dark skies and occasional light rain, which caught out Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella early on as he slid into the barrier.

Vettel and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais narrowly avoided a Red Bull-made scrapheap with a near collision, while Nelson Piquet ended the session beside the track with a failed Renault.