Andi Zuber (right) has set the pace in this afternoon's practice session, while the top 19 drivers were covered by a single second.

Andi Zuber has carried over his scintillating form from the recent test at Paul Ricard to claim the top spot in free practice during an incredibly close session in Magny Cours.

Zuber's fastest time of 1:23.083 was less than one tenth of a second ahead of Giorgio Pantano and Pastor Maldonado in a session which saw 19 drivers set a time within a second of the top time and at least half the field at the top of the timesheet at some time over the session.

The whole field was straight onto the track as soon as the session started, with laptimes tumbling every time they passed the pit straight. The top driver changed constantly until the middle of the session, where almost all of the drivers came in for fresh rubber. Maldonado was one of the few exceptions, staying out for one more lap and claiming the top spot for himself on a clear track before joining his competitors in the pitlane.

It was clear to see how hard they were pushing for a good lap on the newly resurfaced track by the number of drivers who had off road excursions: Ho-ping Tung and Nicolas Lapierre both ran too deep at the Adelaide hairpin and lost time, while even Timo Glock missed his braking point and ran through the gravel at turn 12.

The excursions continued after the stops, with returnee Ernesto Viso blotting his copy book by losing the back end and spinning out of the session at turn 3, while Tung repeated his misfortune at the hairpin once again. Fellow returnee Adam Carroll had a fairly quiet session. Without the benefit of running at the "mid-season" test, today was his first experience of GP2 machinery since the end of last season, and he spent the half hour rattling off as many laps as he could to reacquaint himself with the 600bhp of power under his right foot.

Zuber was on a charge, and with nine minutes to go set his fastest lap of the session. Pantano was pushing too, setting the third best lap and then going one better the next time around before coming in due to an exhaust problem with just a few minutes remaining. His team was unable to rectify the problem in time and Zuber's top lap was safe, for now.

But with the times being so close - all bar Jason Tahinci, who missed most of the session with a mechanical problem, were within two seconds of the top time - and the overcast conditions threatening to spill over at any time, this afternoon's qualifying session looks set to be a classic.

Provided by the GP2 Series Media Service