By now the session was almost over so he had to settle for a mid-pack qualifying time, and finishing where he started dropped him another place down the series leader board to sit in seventh.
Nothing improved for the young Kiwi on Sunday when he had to retire in lap two after being hit from behind by Aaro Vainio, causing extensive damage to his car.
But it was not all doom and gloom for the Kiwis as Richie Stanaway stepped up to the mark in his first GP3 event, winning in Sunday's race.
The German Formula Three driver leads that series and showcased his talents in the support race for the Belgium Formula One Grand Prix.
Stanaway was fast during early qualifying, at one point sitting in sixth, but when the track dried towards the end of the session the other drivers hit their straps and Stanaway, who didn't get a chance to change on to slicks, had to settle for a disappointing 18th.
When the lights went out Stanaway roared into action and began to move up through the field, and by halfway through the race had passed Evans.
Shortly after, a competitor in front of him lifted off mid-corner and Stanaway ran into his rear, damaging his front wing.
But he continued on and moved up to eighth when the chequered flag came out, meaning he'd start on pole for race two, which has a reverse top-eight starting grid.
Showing maturity and race craft beyond his years, Stanaway overcame a rocky start to grab the lead back from Nico Muller and proceeded to pull away.
At one point the Kiwi had a lead of more than 6 seconds on the rest of the pack and his win for the Lotus ART team means they win the teams' title with a round to go in the championship.
"I didn't have enough experience with a hand clutch at the start and so Nico got me at the start and took the lead going into turn one," says Stanaway.
"I was quite close to him on the exit of La Source but I made sure I lifted a little before Eau Rouge so we had a bit of a gap and I was in the right place for a slipstream. I was just close enough then to get a good run on him and regained the lead.
"Then I just pushed as hard as I could on the first few laps to build up a lead and then worked on maintaining it. I just wanted to bring the car home.
"Obviously I still need to learn a lot more and get a few more laps under me before I really get a good feeling of the car because everything is so new. I think in the race it was the first time we have driven in the dry, except for a few laps in free practice. It's been a really good learning experience this weekend.
"Honestly, after qualifying I was quite disappointed because my last two laps were interrupted by traffic ... but looking back now I think it was a good thing for me to experience.
"I had to come from the back in the wet and pass quite a few cars, so getting to eighth place was quite good.
"So even though qualifying wasn't great the experience was very good, especially having to fight my way through. It's been a pretty good weekend for the first run and I didn't expect to win a race so early. I'm looking forward to Monza now."
There are still five drivers in with a chance to win the championship at the final round of the series at Monza in Italy.
Evans, now in seventh in the championship, is out of contention to win the title but he'll be really keen to end his season on a high.
Watch for Stanaway also, as he's got a point to prove that his result was not a flash in the pan and he'll be keen to impress in front of the movers and shakers at the Italian Grand Prix, September 10-11.
Hartley claims fifth and ninth
On another note, another Kiwi had a race weekend to be proud of. Brendon Hartley featured well in the GP2 category at Spa-Francorchamps, claiming a fifth and a ninth in the two races over the weekend.
"It [2sec race] was a tough race. [I] Had nowhere to go at the start and lost three places," says Hartley. "It was a really messy race and felt like I was always in the wrong place.
"I can't wait for Monza as I feel up to speed with the car and tyres and am sure we can fight at the front."
Hartley is contesting the full Formula Renault 3.5 series, in which he's seventh. His next race is at Paul Ricard, France, September 17-18.
