Schumacher sets pace in Belgium

Michael Schumacher was able to claim the fastest time in practice for the first time this season, albeit assisted by the typically unpredictable Belgian weather.

Schumacher, on the 20th anniversary of his Formula One debut this weekend, and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg were the only drivers to set times when the Spa-Francorchamps circuit was relatively dry.

Seven-times champion Schumacher clocked one minute 54.355secs for the 4.3-mile track, with Rosberg just under half-a-second adrift, prior to the heavens opening for 20 minutes.

Although it eventually relented to guarantee around 35 minutes of running, the latter times set were a long way down on the 42-year-old Schumacher.

In the dying moments, McLaren's Jenson Button was the quickest of the drivers on a changeable track that was still wet in some areas and with a dry line in others, the Briton finishing 8.385secs down with a lap of 2:02.740.

Sebastian Vettel crossed the line just behind the 31-year-old, but was a second adrift, with Lewis Hamilton fifth with his only timed lap of the entire 90 minutes set shortly before the end.

Force India's Adrian Sutil and Felipe Massa in his Ferrari were in close attendance to one another in sixth and seventh, albeit just over 10 seconds down on Schumacher, and perhaps more appropriately were two seconds behind Button.

Rubens Barrichello in his Williams, Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari and the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi completed the top 10, with times relatively irrelevant.