The pursuing pack are baying at the leaders' heels: In slightly overcast conditions and with the thermometer up around the 17-degree mark, Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz in their Polarweiss Racing Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG set the pace. The second-placed duo posted the fastest time in FP1 (1:40.083 mins), and by the end of the 60-minute session, they had opened up a 0.344-second gap on René Rast and Christopher Mies (Prosperia C Abt Racing) who are also contenders for the title in their Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Meanwhile, Robert Renauer and Martin Ragginger (Tonino powered by Herberth Motorsport) were also making their ambitions clear: the Porsche duo were third fastest in their 911 GT3 R. Coming into the race weekend as championship leaders, Diego Alessi and Daniel Keilwitz were within striking distance: the Corvette duo was just 0.533 seconds adrift in sixth. Frank Kechele and Dominik Schwager (Lambda Performance) set the fourth-fastest time in their Ford GT ahead of Christer Jöns and Markus Winkelhock in another Prosperia C Abt Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Also in with a chance of wrapping up the title at Hockenheim are Claudia Hürtgen and Dominik Baumann in a PIXUM Team Schubert BMW Z4 GT3. Having won two races this season and with a 25-point gap to close, they were seventh fastest on Friday. Max Sandritter and Jörg Müller driving the second PIXUM Team Schubert Z4 were back in tenth.

Thomas Jäger and Luca Ludwig will have been well pleased with their performance in the other Polarweiss Racing Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, having been drafted in at the last moment to replace the pairing of Sergey Afanasiev and Andreas Simonsen. Andreas Wirth, contesting his home race at Hockenheim, and partner Christian Hohenadel finished the first free practice session ninth in their Corvette Z06.R.