ART Grand Prix driver Esteban Gutierrez fired a warning to his rivals in today's free practice, demonstrating he will be one to watch at the Valencia Street Circuit this weekend.

The Mexican driver set the pace this afternoon claiming the top spot in the session with a time of 1:59.459 just two tenths ahead of teammate Alexander Rossi after a last gasp effort from the American shot him up the time sheets.

In the scorching Spanish heat all thirty cars took straight to the track when the lights turned green and it was MW Arden's Michael Christensen who was quickest straight out of the blocks, however, the Dane soon found himself swapping fastest lap times with Gutierrez, Addax Team's Felipe Guimaraes and Tech 1 Racing Jean-Eric Vergne. Atech CRS GP's new man Roberto Mehri was quick to join the fray and put in impressive lap times at his first GP3 Series event.

In the end it was Gutierrez who triumphed. In the last stages Carlin's Dean Smith moved up the time sheets but was just pipped by Rossi and finished third ahead of Mehri. James Jakes was fifth in his No 7 Manor Racing car and early pace setter Christensen finished sixth. Carlin's Josef Newgarden ended up 7th ahead of MW Arden's Miki Monras, Vergne and Jenzer Motorsport's Nico Muller rounded out the top ten.

With two minutes left of the session Addax Team's Bortolotti stopped on the start/finish straight causing a yellow flag just as most of the drivers were in their last attempts at a fastest lap.