Pastor Maldonado set the quickest time in the wet first GP2 practice session at Spa on Friday. The championship leader, who won at Belgian circuit in 2008, was much faster than anyone else – second-placed Dani Clos the only driver within two seconds of his best time.
Series returnee Alvaro Parente won here last year and went third fastest in his first session with Coloni. Romain Grosjean is another driver to have won here in the past, in '08, and he was fifth behind Michael Herck.
Christian Vietoris completed the top six, while fellow former winners at Spa (in F3) Oliver Turvey and Sam Bird were seventh and 10th, split by Marcus Ericsson and Fabio Crestani.
Maldonado's nearest title rival, Sergio Perez, was only 11th, while the only other driver on the grid to have won a GP2 race at Spa, Giedo van der Garde, was just 15th.
Jules Bianchi was 19th on following his recovery from the back injury he sustained in the last event at the Hungaroring.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1. Pastor Maldonado Rapax 2m16.498s 8
2. Dani Clos Racing Engineering 2m18.368s +1.870 7
3. Alvaro Parente Coloni 2m18.651s +2.153 8
4. Michael Herck DPR 2m18.816s +2.318 3
5. Romain Grosjean DAMS 2m19.233s +2.735 6
6. Christian Vietoris Racing Engineering 2m19.342s +2.844 7
7. Oliver Turvey iSport 2m19.579s +3.081 7
8. Marcus Ericsson Super Nova 2m19.603s +3.105 7
9. Fabio Crestani DPR 2m19.914s +3.416 7
10. Sam Bird ART 2m19.968s +3.470 8
11. Sergio Perez Addax 2m20.009s +3.511 8
12. Luiz Razia Rapax 2m20.079s +3.581 6
13. Luca Filippi Super Nova 2m20.301s +3.803 7
14. Vlado Arabadzhiev Coloni 2m20.335s +3.837 8
15. Giedo van der Garde Addax 2m20.480s +3.982 7
16. Rodolfo Gonzalez Arden 2m21.001s +4.503 6
17. Davide Valsecchi iSport 2m21.042s +4.544 6
18. Adrian Zaugg Trident 2m21.575s +5.077 7
19. Jules Bianchi ART 2m21.981s +5.483 8
20. Fabio Leimer Ocean 2m22.769s +6.271 3
21. Jerome D'Ambrosio DAMS 2m24.843s +8.345 3
22. Max Chilton Ocean 2m25.442s +8.944 3
23. Charles Pic Arden 2m28.349s +11.851 3
24. Johnny Cecotto Jr Trident no time