Championship leader Lewis Hamilton left his Formula One title rivals trailing as McLaren turned on the power in yesterday's German Grand Prix practice.

The 23-year-old Briton, fresh from his dominant home win in the rain at Silverstone on July 6, was quickest in both sessions at engine partners Mercedes' home circuit.

Hamilton lapped in one minute 15.537 seconds on a damp and drizzly morning and, with the sun breaking through the overcast skies, went even quicker in the afternoon with a best time of 1:15.025.

Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa was second in the later session, 0.697 off the pace, with Finnish team-mate and world champion Kimi Raikkonen third.

Hamilton, Massa and Raikkonen are all level on 48 points, with Hockenheim the first race of the second half of the championship.

The Briton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, whose compatriot and double world champion Mika Hakkinen was the last McLaren winner at Hockenheim in 1998, was second in the morning and fourth after lunch.

With McLaren and Ferrari looking the teams to beat, Australian Mark Webber kept Renault-powered Red Bull in the mix with the fifth fastest time in the afternoon ahead of Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso.

Spaniard Alonso had been fourth in the morning.

Poland's Robert Kubica, like Hamilton and Kovalainen making his first grand prix appearance at a circuit that was absent from the calendar last year, skidded across the gravel at the Agip curve and into the tyre barrier in the morning.

Kubica, winner in Canada for BMW Sauber, is two points adrift of the top three drivers after nine races. He returned in the afternoon with the eighth best time.

Williams' Nico Rosberg was sixth and seventh respectively and the best performing of the five German drivers, a quarter of the starting grid, in action.