Despite suffering a tyre blow-out late in free practice session two, Nico Rosberg did enough to carry on his strong form and top the timesheets at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The German was quickest on Friday morning but endured a heart-in-the-mouth moment at Blanchimont when his right-rear tyre burst, sending him off the track.

However, having already set a time of one minute 49.385 seconds earlier in the day, Mercedes' Rosberg remained clear of team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a session fractured by two late red flags.

Marcus Ericsson also crashed his Sauber into the tyre wall late in the day.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel - victorious in Hungary in the last race before the mid-season break - and Daniil Kvyat were among those to set the early pace but Rosberg was rarely off top spot, reassuming the lead when the Toro Rosso man returned to the pits.

Rosberg's momentum was checked somewhat when he missed the chance to save further time when he mistimed a chicane.

Pastor Maldonado eventually got back on track after his FP1 crash but continued to struggle with handling while team-mate Romain Grosjean faltered initially, having seen his car given to GP2 winner Jolyon Palmer in the first session.

Ericsson briefly threatened the top of the sheets before Rosberg briskly resumed top spot, only to see his outing cut short with a violent tyre burst.

A good deal of run-off area at Blanchimont meant there appeared little damage to the vehicle and, shortly after Rosberg's car was returned to the paddock, Ericsson's crash brought out another red flag.

The Swede was thrown off course when exiting a turn and, when racing resumed again, championship leader Hamilton eked out the final few minutes on a medium tyre, finishing clear of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.

1. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 1:49.385

2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:49.687

3. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 1:50.136

4. Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull) 1:50.399

5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:50.461

6. Niko Hulkenberg (Force India) 1:50.461

7. Romain Grosjean (Lotus) 1:50.489

8. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) 1:50.709

9. Felipe Nasr (Sauber) 1:50.928

10. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 1:50.940