The Briton's demise was the first indication that rain may be returning, although he didn't help himself by putting a wheel on the kerb to the right of the track before departing stage left. When Alberto Valerio crashed out in similar fashion approaching Rivage, however, the entire field had time to take stock, as the safety car made its first appearance of the morning.

It took three laps to clear the wreckage of yet another Durango chassis, but the delay claimed another frontrunner - promoting Senna and di Grassi to seventh and eighth - as Parente locked up massively heading into the Bus Stop, burying the Super Nova car into the tyre wall. Slightly further back, Diego Nunes was caught out by Filippi running wide into the same section as the field prepared to take the restart and punted both into early retirement.

The single-file return to racing did not lead to many surprises as the field went through La Source and Eau Rouge, but the end of the lap again provided some key action. Buemi continued to be something of a stopper to those bottled up behind, leading Grosjean to make a move on the Swiss through Blanchimont. The ART ace discovered quickly, however, just how damp the track remained offline, and the resulting tankslapper convinced him to step back into the Arden car's wake.

The incident, however, could prove crucial in helping decide the outcome of the title as, sensing his opportunity to make capital from the confusion, Senna tried to sneak up the outside of Grosjean into the Bus Stop, only to be boxed in by the Frenchman and find Buemi braking earlier than he expected. Unable to pull up or out, Senna possibly saw his title hopes end in a touch with the rear of the car in front, bending his right front wheel back into the bodywork and forcing him out of the race.

As Senna fumed on the iSport pit perch, Grosjean got the better of Buemi for fifth at Les Combes - before then spinning away his new-found position at Stavelot and dropping to eleventh, allowing Kobayashi - who had been behind Senna at the time of his incident - into sixth and di Grassi, who had dropped back behind the DAMS car after a query about his earlier passing move on the Japanese, into seventh.

Maldonado's progress continued on lap 14 as, having already banged wheels with the Spaniard, he finally got the better of Soucek with his signature move at the top of the hill. The Super Nova car was not long for the race, however, as Soucek joined team-mate Parente on the sidelines with a big off of his own, this time at Stavelot.

The Spaniard, fortunately, went off earlier in the corner than Davide Valsecchi had on Saturday, and avoided the sort of unabated head-on collision that sent the Italian to hospital, but still endured a sizeable impact and subsequent rebound as he waved a podium position good bye for the second time this season. In a nice piece of symmetry, however, Soucek's accident promoted Valsecchi into the points, the Italian having risen from his hospital bed to take the start in 23rd spot and made his way through the field to pass Kobayashi at La Source at the start of that very lap.

The Japanese driver had been passed by di Grassi at Les Combes on the previous tour, promoting the Brazilian to fifth, immediately behind the ongoing squabble between Campos team-mate Petrov and Buemi, which culminated in the Swiss driver being forced wide exiting La Source on lap 15, albeit without losing a place.

Soucek's accident fortunately did not require the intervention of the pace car but, with two laps remaining, it did not appear to concern Maldonado, who showed no signs of needing artificial assistance to haul in the leader.

Clearly closing throughout lap 17, the Venezuelan made full use of what appeared to be superior power in the back of his Piquet Sport machine - something team-mate Zuber was no doubt keeping counsel about - to tuck in behind d'Ambrosio as they crested the rise out of Eau Rouge for the final time. d'Ambrosio, like those before him, attempted to defend, covering the inside line, but was merely buying time as Maldonado pulled out to the left and completed the move well before the right-left that ended the straight.