Australian Mark Webber kept Formula One leader Jenson Button off the top of the timesheets in today's first German Grand Prix practice.

The Red Bull driver, still chasing a first grand prix victory after 129 starts, lapped the Nuerburgring circuit in chilly and damp conditions with a best time of one minute, 33.082 seconds.

Brawn GP's Button, who had suggested yesterday that Webber could be more of a threat than Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel, was second fastest and 0.381 slower.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa was third quickest.

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was a surprise fifth for Force India, yet to score their first point in Formula One, while Vettel was only eighth.

The 22-year-old German won the last race in Britain, his second victory of the season, but has not competed previously in Formula One at the track in Western Germany's wooded Eifel mountains.

He missed much of the session after his car coasted to a halt after 10 laps, returning for the closing minutes.

Button's Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello, 23 points adrift of the Briton (64 points) after eight races and just two clear of Vettel, was slowest for much of the session before ending in 12th place.

Webber was third in Formula One's last appearance at the Nuerburgring in 2007 and the track is clearly one that he likes.

"There's no real pressure on me at all, I'm very happy how the season's gone," he had told reporters yesterday.

"I want to get that win, it will happen when you probably least expect it. Silverstone was one that a lot of people had money on me for and I finished second. We'll see what happens here. I'm looking forward to it.

"I've had a lot of pretty good races here," he added. "We know what we have got to do."