Although conditions eventually improved, and a hint of sunshine even appeared at the very end, much of the session saw a significantly wetter track than morning practice.
Once again, that led to a host of unusual names at the front of the field, as though world champion Casey Stoner (Honda) led the way at first, the likes of Tech 3 Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow, Pramac Ducati's Randy de Puniet, Cardion Ducati's Karel Abraham and Ducati's Nicky Hayden all had turns at the front before Bautista claimed the definitive top spot with a 1m47.975s.
Hayden ended up second, 0.341 seconds down on the Spaniard, with de Puniet, Abraham and Crutchlow keeping themselves in the top five to the end.
Andrea Dovizioso was the best of the works Honda in sixth, while his team-mates Stoner and Dani Pedrosa were eighth and ninth behind Valentino Rossi's Ducati.
Tech 3 Yamaha's stand-in rider Josh Hayes did a superb job to take 10th. The American Superbike champion, who is making his MotoGP debut in place of the injured Colin Edwards, was as high as fifth at one stage.
Fellow substitute Katsuyuki Nakasuga also moved up the order as he finished the session 11th on Jorge Lorenzo's regular Yamaha.
The wetter conditions saw several accidents, with Toni Elias (LCR Honda) falling at Turn 2 early on, Ben Spies crashing his Yamaha at the first corner, and Abraham and Gresini Honda's Hiroshi Aoyama also having late falls - with Abraham's Ducati significantly damaged as it rolled across the Turn 1 run-off. All four were unhurt, although Spies - still recovering from his violent Phillip Island crash - looked understandably sore as he walked away after his tumble through the gravel.
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time Gap 1. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki 1m47.975s 2. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m48.316s + 0.341s 3. Randy de Puniet Pramac Ducati 1m48.684s + 0.709s 4. Karel Abraham Cardion Ducati 1m49.021s + 1.046s 5. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha 1m49.350s + 1.375s 6. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m49.422s + 1.447s 7. Valentino Rossi Ducati 1m49.613s + 1.638s 8. Casey Stoner Honda 1m49.674s + 1.699s 9. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m49.820s + 1.845s 10. Josh Hayes Tech 3 Yamaha 1m50.509s + 2.534s 11. Katsuyuki Nakasuga Yamaha 1m51.277s + 3.302s 12. Loris Capirossi Pramac Ducati 1m51.838s + 3.863s 13. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati 1m51.932s + 3.957s 14. Ben Spies Yamaha 1m52.072s + 4.097s 15. Hiroshi Aoyama Gresini Honda 1m53.286s + 5.311s 16. Toni Elias LCR Honda 1m54.342s + 6.367s
Casey Stoner fastest for Honda in first practice at damp Valencia
After a topsy-turvy session full of position swapping, Stoner resumed the usual order by putting in a 1m45.513s lap with five minutes to go, with Pedrosa joining him at the front a few minutes later, the Spaniard lapping 0.2 seconds slower.
Until the late Honda surge, a variety of unusual names took advantage of the slippery conditions and appeared at or near the top of the times.
The Ducatis seemed happier in the wet, with works men Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden both leading the way for spells, and Pramac's Loris Capirossi also taking a poignant turn in front at the start of the final weekend of his racing career.
Another underdog to hit the front was Toni Elias, the LCR Honda man twice leading the way.
When the times settled at the end of the session, Rossi, Hayden and Capirossi held third, fourth and fifth places, ahead of top Yamaha rider Ben Spies in sixth. Elias fell to eighth, behind Pramac's Randy de Puniet.
Hiroshi Aoyama was 14th on the sole Gresini Honda entered this weekend following the death of Marco Simoncelli at Sepang.
MotoGP debutant Josh Hayes, substituting for the injured Colin Edwards at Tech 3 Yamaha, beat factory test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga - in for Jorge Lorenzo - to 15th.
The track remained consistently damp, with lap times only improving by five seconds through the course of the session. Despite the slippery surface the riders all stayed upright, with a trip through the Turn 1 gravel for Hector Barbera (Aspar Ducati) the only incident.
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time Gap 1. Casey Stoner Honda 1m45.513s 2. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m45.736s + 0.223s 3. Valentino Rossi Ducati 1m45.828s + 0.315s 4. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m46.073s + 0.560s 5. Loris Capirossi Pramac Ducati 1m46.108s + 0.595s 6. Ben Spies Yamaha 1m46.259s + 0.746s 7. Randy de Puniet Pramac Ducati 1m46.371s + 0.858s 8. Toni Elias LCR Honda 1m46.393s + 0.880s 9. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m46.402s + 0.889s 10. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha 1m46.581s + 1.068s 11. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki 1m46.922s + 1.409s 12. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati 1m46.967s + 1.454s 13. Karel Abraham Cardion Ducati 1m47.079s + 1.566s 14. Hiroshi Aoyama Gresini Honda 1m47.581s + 2.068s 15. Josh Hayes Tech 3 Yamaha 1m48.037s + 2.524s 16. Katsuyuki Nakasuga Yamaha 1m48.382s + 2.869s
Capirossi says he is happy with his decision to retire
The double 125cc champion and 1998 250cc title-winner will make his 215th MotoGP start in his farewell race.
He admitted it was tough to think about the significance of his final race amid the sadness over the death of Marco Simoncelli at Sepang a fortnight ago.
"For sure, after that race retiring is hard, but I made that decision a long time ago and I'm happy because after 22 seasons it's a good time to stop," said Capirossi.
"We have a lot of strong riders and it's good to do something else. All stories start and some time they finish. My one is finished. After the race, I have a good life behind me and my family and I think I can do something good with my life."
Capirossi added that he hopes to get the best possible result in Simoncelli's honour on Sunday.
"The situation is strange for everybody," Pramac Ducati rider Capirossi admitted. "The situation we saw in Malaysia was so difficult, but everybody is here and we will try to never forget Marco. This is really important, it's part of our lives.
"He always tried to do the best. I want to hold up the honour of Marco. I will use the #58 on my bike. I really hope he's happy about that. I can't do the same result he could've done, but I'll try to do my best for him."
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