Jaap Van Lagen headed LADA team-mate Rob Huff in the first World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) free practice session on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, in a damp session affected by foggy conditions.
The start of the session was delayed due to thick fog, taking 15 minutes to get underway. It then took almost half an hour for the first times to come in, with José María López and Norbert Michelisz both topping the times early on with their out-lap efforts.
Van Lagen hit the top of the times with around 12 minutes to go, posting a time of 10:24.447 which would stand until the Dutchman improved in the closing minutes of the session with a time of 10:17.981.
Huff was second fastest, also improving to re-take second in the closing minutes with a time that put him just 1.451 seconds behind his team-mate.
Tom Chilton was third fastest, 5.266 seconds off the pace in his ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet Cruze, ahead of the top Honda of Tiago Monteiro in fourth.
Stefano D’Aste was fifth fastest for Münnich Motorsport, ahead of Zengő Motorsport’s Michelisz and the second ROAL Chevrolet of Tom Coronel in seventh.
The top Citroën driver was eighth-placed Sébastien Loeb, 10.336 seconds off the pace. Completing the top ten were Honda’s Gabriele Tarquini and the second-fastest Citroën of Yvan Muller.
Nürburgring Nordschleife specialist Sabine Schmitz ended the session in 11th position, 21.275 seconds off the pace in her Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet.
Having posted an out-lap some 28 seconds off the pace, José María López failed to complete any further laps, ending the session down in 14th position.
Several drivers had off-track excursions during the session, including Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Mehdi Bennani, who skated off the circuit and into the barriers before completing even half of his out-lap. Citroën’s Ma Qing Hua and Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Grégoire Demoustier also went off through the gravel at the same turn, with the former making more than one trip into the gravel during the session.
Second practice takes place at 11:55 CEST (10:55 BST).
Session results
| POS | NO | CL | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 46 | Jaap VAN LAGEN |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 3 | 10:17.981 | 0.000 | |
| 2 | 12 | Rob HUFF |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 3 | 10:19.432 | 1.451 | |
| 3 | 3 | Y | Tom CHILTON | |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 2 | 10:23.247 | 5.266 |
| 4 | 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
Castrol Honda WTC Team | Honda Civic WTCC | 2 | 10:23.623 | 5.642 | |
| 5 | 26 | Y | Stefano D’ASTE |  |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 3 | 10:24.603 | 6.622 |
| 6 | 5 | Y | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
Zengő Motorsport | Honda Civic WTCC | 3 | 10:24.956 | 6.975 |
| 7 | 4 | Y | Tom CORONEL | |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 3 | 10:27.178 | 9.197 |
| 8 | 9 | Sébastien LOEB |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 2 | 10:28.317 | 10.336 | |
| 9 | 2 | Gabriele TARQUINI | |
Castrol Honda WTC Team | Honda Civic WTCC | 2 | 10:30.860 | 12.879 | |
| 10 | 68 | Yvan MULLER | |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 2 | 10:31.466 | 13.485 | |
| 11 | 8 | Y | Sabine SCHMITZ |  |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 3 | 10:39.256 | 21.275 |
| 12 | 27 | Y | John FILIPPI | |
Campos Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 3 | 10:41.707 | 23.726 |
| 13 | 11 | Y | Grégoire DEMOUSTIER | |
Craft-Bamboo Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 3 | 10:43.507 | 25.526 |
| 14 | 37 | José María LÓPEZ |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 1 | 10:45.982 | 28.001 | |
| 15 | 7 | Y | Hugo VALENTE | |
Campos Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 1 | 10:56.891 | 38.910 |
| 16 | 25 | Y | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 2 | 11:03.576 | 45.595 |
| 17 | 33 | MA Qing Hua |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 1 | No time | N/A |