( CNN ) -- Venezuelan Pastor Maldonaldo was fastest in a rain hit second practice session at the German grand prix . In Friday 's dryer first session , McLaren 's Jenson Button led teammate Lewis Hamilton at the top of the time sheets . Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher had a day to forget at Hockenheim , crashing his Mercedes into a wall in the final few minutes of the second session . The German driver , known for his ability to handle wet track conditions , had been going well at his home race . `` The way I ended the second session was obviously not part of the plan , '' Schumacher told the official website . `` I simply slid off track because I lost a little concentration , we were talking on the radio and I was altering some settings at the same time . `` Overall the session went ok . I think that qualifying will probably be wet tomorrow , so today 's weather was useful in that respect . '' The Mercedes team suffered a miserable end to the day as it was confirmed that Schumacher 's teammate Nico Rosberg will start five places back from his qualifying position as punishment for replacing his gearbox . Defending World Champion Sebastien Vettel enjoyed a much improved second session . The German moved from twelfth in the morning to third in the afternoon . `` We just got used to the conditions , as there may be rain tomorrow and also on Sunday . The forecast is n't looking great , '' he told the Formula 1 website . Vettel 's Red Bull teammate Mark Webber described the conditions as `` unreal '' , as he endured a mixed day . `` We did n't expect the rain to be this bad today , but it was quite heavy at times - we even used the extreme full wet tire , '' the Australian , who won the previous grand prix at Silverstone , told the official website . `` That 's two races in a row now with tricky conditions . '' Current championship leader Fernando Alonso was happy with the way his car handled the conditions . The Ferrari driver , who has won two races this season declared himself `` pleased with how things went . '' `` The car behaved well in all conditions , which is always a good thing and we were also able to see how the various types of tire worked . '' McLaren unveiled a number of upgrades to their car as they attempt to rescue a disappointing season . Former world champions Button and Hamilton rewarded their team 's efforts with a good first practice session . `` The men and women back at the factory did an incredible job to get all the upgrades to the track this weekend . It 's definitely a step forward , '' Hamilton told the official website . `` The car does n't feel bad at all . It 's tough in the wet out there , like driving around on an ice rink , but I feel positive that we can do something good this weekend . '' Button echoed Hamilton 's comments , as he declared to the official website that the team can be happy with the new parts , `` most of them worked correctly - so it 's nice to see the improvement . I want to say a big 'well done ' to the guys at the factory . '' The weather forecast suggests the track will be damp for qualifying tomorrow , with similar conditions likely for the race on Sunday .
Maldonado and Button fastest in two practice sessions . German driver Schumacher struggles on wet track and crashes into barriers . Australian driver Webber described conditions as ` ` unreal '' Championship leader Fernando Alonso ` ` pleased '' with the session .