Michael Schumacher crashed near the end of a wet second practice for the German Grand Prix and was unhurt as he walked from his damaged Mercedes on Friday.
Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela, winner of the Spanish GP, ended with the fastest time in his Williams, with the order decided largely by who was on the track when it was driest.
Schumacher, in the third and possibly last season of his comeback, lost control on bend 12, spun out and hit the tire barrier, ripping off the rear of his car and damaging the left side.
“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,” Schumacher said.
He got up and walked away, before returning to watch the marshals haul the wreck away.
The crash brought out the red flag, ending the session with less than four minutes remaining.
Schumacher has won the German GP a record four times and was the last German driver to win his home race, in 2006, his last season with Ferrari. Mercedes is seeking its first win on home soil since 1954.
“The way I ended the second session was obviously not part of
