With the pace slowed behind the safety car, the entire field took the opportunity to pit for their mandatory tyre change - no-one making the 'error' committed by iSport and
Timo Glock last season. Parente, however, emerged still holding his lead, but Senna was now into second, the beneficiary of iSport's mistake twelve months ago now using the same team's ability in the pits to vault by Zuber, who rejoined in third.
The safety car remained out for several more laps, but only Parente and Senna appeared ready for the restart, immediately opening a gap back to Zuber that remained to the chequered flag. Despite being right with the leader, however, Senna could not quite get close enough to Parente to make a move. The Brazilian would close up heading into the chicane, but did not have the traction to stay close enough to slipstream through into turn one.
Zuber, meanwhile, was running a lonely race in third, as was Pantano in fourth, but Petrov and Valles swapped places on the first lap after racing resumed. Behind their battle, Sebastien Buemi was coming under increasing pressure from Kamui Kobayashi and Asia Series champion Romain Grosjean, with Chandhok next up after receiving the worst of the pit-lane traffic during his tyre stop.
As expected after his 'winter' series triumph, Grosjean was the man on the move, harassing Buemi for several laps before finally worrying the Swiss driver into an error at turn one. Although Buemi cut the corner to rejoin in front of the ART car, he was no match for Grosjean, who swept around the outside of turn three and made the move stick into four.
Once ahead, Grosjean cleared off, quickly catching Valles - who had been repassed by Petrov for fifth into turn one on lap 17. Three laps after disposing of Buemi, Grosjean was past Valles and homing in on the Russian, taking a similar number of laps to make up another spot.
![Alvaro Parente - Super Nova Racing [pic credit: GP2 Series]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/432060.jpg)
