Length: 5.418 km
Number of Laps: 60 (308.863 Km)
Best Lap: M. Schumacher - 1'29''468 (2004, Ferrari)
Record Pole: M. Schumacher - 1'28''351 (2004, Ferrari)
2005 Pole: N. Heidfeld - 1'30''081 (Williams)
2005 Podium: F. Alonso - N. Heidfeld - R. Barrichello

With fifteen minutes of the session remaining Michael put in a 1:30.788, comfortably quicker than anyone else, and it proved to be untouchable by all bar his team mate. Massa’s time was some three tenths of a second slower, at 1:31.093.

Ralf Schumacher confirmed that Toyota continue to improve with a third best time of 1:31.395, although team mate Jarno Trulli continues to carry the misfortune at Toyota, and could only manage 19th position, almost two full seconds away from Ralf’s best.

A remarkable late lap that included the fastest first sector of anyone all session put Jacques Villeneuve in the BMW-Sauber up to fourth position, the car looking much better than yesterday. Nick Heidfeld, last year’s pole position man, took a disappointing 15th place.

Fifth and sixth are the Renault pair of Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso, the two R26’s not showing the outright pace of the Ferrari duo, down by around three quarters of a second.

Honda, too, do not seem to have the pace they have shown of late, with Jenson Button seventh and Rubens Barrichello in 13th place, and McLaren continue to struggle for grip as Kimi Raikkonen posted tenth fastest and Juan Pablo Montoya a disastrous 17th.

Red Bull proved a Ferrari V8 is a useful tool to have around the Nurburgring, with Christian Klien topping the times for a while and eventually netting 8th fastest. Klien’s first sector times were right up on the Ferrari pace, but the Maranello cars were simply untouchable in sector two. David Coulthard put the second RB2 in 16th position.

Vitantonio Liuzzi’s excellent ninth for Scuderia Toro Rosso will surely fan the flames of the ongoing V10 dispute, especially with Scott Speed just a whisker behind for 12th position.

Williams Friday pace has not transferred to today, as Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber could only manage 11th and 14th positions respectively. Both were on the pace of Alex Wurz’s fastest time yesterday, but the bar has been lowered considerably since then.

The same problem affected the Midland runners, so impressive yesterday, with Tiago Monteiro and Cristijan Albers both running at the same pace to 19th and 20th positions as those in front went quicker.

Bringing up the rear, as usual, are the two Super Aguri’s, with Franck Montagny doing an impressive job to outpace regular driver Takuma Sato.

The field is tightly packed, with fastest down to sixth covered by one second, and seventh right down to Trulli, in 18th, similarly spaced, promising an exciting and unpredictable qualifying session later on today.