Michael Schumacher topped the times during first free practice, 20 years after he made his debut at the same circuit in 1991.
The German led his teammate, Nico Rosberg, both of which set early laps to beat the rain which hindered the rest of the field.
Heavy rain hit the track within a few minutes, hampering efforts to beat the laps set by both Mercedes drivers.
Jenson Button put his wet weather skills to the test and managed the third quickest lap ahead of championship leader, Sebastian Vettel.
Bruno Senna’s debut was far less than perfect as he span at turn nine and hit the barriers, whilst Pail di Resta followed suit and hit the same barrier, ending both their running.
Belgian GP Free Practice 1 Results:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:54.355 | 13 | |
| 02. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:54.829 | +0.474 | 15 |
| 03. | J. Button | McLaren | 2:02.740 | +8.385 | 8 |
| 04. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 2:03.752 | +9.397 | 10 |
| 05. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | 2:04.301 | +9.946 | 7 |
| 06. | A. Sutil | Force India | 2:04.663 | +10.308 | 18 |
| 07. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 2:04.728 | +10.373 | 10 |
| 08. | R. Barrichello | Williams | 2:05.391 | +11.036 | 12 |
| 09. | J. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 2:06.583 | +12.228 | 16 |
| 10. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | 2:06.886 | +12.531 | 15 |
| 11. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 2:07.055 | +12.700 | 12 |
| 12. | S. Perez | Sauber | 2:07.481 | +13.126 | 15 |
| 13. | J. Trulli | Team Lotus | 2:08.233 | +13.878 | 14 |
| 14. | S. Buemi | Toro Rosso | 2:08.239 | +13.884 | 14 |
| 15. | P. Maldonado | Williams | 2:08.918 | +14.563 | 10 |
| 16. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 2:09.792 | +15.437 | 8 |
| 17. | T. Glock | Virgin | 2:12.278 | +17.923 | 13 |
| 18. | T. Liuzzi | HRT | 2:12.389 | +18.034 | 10 |
| 19. | J. D’Ambrosio | Virgin | 2:12.772 | +18.417 | 13 |
| 20. | P. di Resta | Force India | 2:13.058 | +18.703 | 8 |
| 21. | K. Chandhok | Team Lotus | 2:14.090 | +18.735 | 11 |
| 22. | V. Petrov | Renault | 2:13.601 | +19.246 | 10 |
| 23. | B. Senna | Renault | 2:14.340 | +19.985 | 7 |
| 24. | D. Ricciardo | HRT | 2:14.933 | +20.578 | 11 |
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