Pic powers to Pole
The Frenchman's best lap of 1:41.638 in what was effectively a one lap dash after a late session red flag put him on pole by just two tenths in a tense session which saw plenty of thrills and spills as the field tried to tame the treacherous conditions.
With most of the field tiptoeing for a lap before returning to fit wet weather tires it was Romain Grosjean and Dani Clos who set the early running, with Christian Vietoris and Max Chilton keeping the pair honest around the slippery circuit which saw a few early spins and wide lines in the awkward conditions. The Briton was third on the timesheets and looking for more when span and stopped on the main straight, prompting a first red flag. Maldonado stepped up to P2 after the restart and a few minutes later Adrian Zaugg crossed the line to put himself P1.
Meanwhile, Davide Valsecchi ran wide to avoid a slow Michael Herck forcing a spin on the grass at the back of the circuit and Sam Bird also found the barriers, prompting another red flag period.
With five minutes to go it was time for a shoot out, it was Pic who picked up the bonus points in a dramatic last lap dash for the flag. Behind the top three were Sergio Perez, with Zaugg holding on for P5 ahead of Clos, Luiz Razia, Marcus Ericsson, Jules Bianchi and Giedo van der Garde: those who missed out on the lucky dip will be hoping to show what they've got in tomorrow's feature race.
Driver Team Time Laps
1. Charles Pic Arden International 1:41.638 14
2. Pastor Maldonado Rapax 1:41.906 13
3. Oliver Turvey iSport International 1:42.023 16
4. Sergio Perez Barwa Addax Team 1:42.363 13
5. Adrian Zaugg Trident Racing 1:42.470 14
6. Dani Clos Racing Engineering 1:42.617 14
7. Luiz Razia Rapax 1:42.922 13
8. Marcus Ericsson Super Nova Racing 1:42.945 13
9. Jules Bianchi ART Grand Prix 1:43.008 15
10. Giedo van der Garde Barwa Addax Team 1:43.234 13
11. Luca Filippi Super Nova Racing 1:43.335 14
12. Johnny Cecotto Trident Racing 1:43.337 15
13. Romain Grosjean Dams 1:43.402 13
14. Christian Vietoris Racing Engineering 1:43.504 14
15. Max Chilton Ocean Racing Technology 1:43.507 9
16. Michael Herck DPR 1:43.607 14
17. Alberto Valerio Scuderia Coloni 1:43.694 14
18. Davide Valsecchi iSport International 1:44.162 10
19. Ho Pin Tung Dams 1:44.173 14
20. Giacomo Ricci DPR 1:44.173 14
21. Vladimir Arabadzhiev Scuderia Coloni 1:44.289 15
22. Sam Bird ART Grand Prix 1:44.487 9
23. Rodolfo Gonzalez Arden International 1:44.700 12
24. Fabio Leimer Ocean Racing Technology 1:46.373 6