*** 2006 Monaco GP ***

[sameerrao]

The most glamourous race on the calendar. Perhaps the best of circuits to watch qualifying and onboard shots. But perhaps the most boring race on the calendar due to limited overtaking opportunities. Last year, we saw Kimi take an easy win and a great overtaking manouevre by Nick Heidfeld on Alonso.

This year qualifying will be exciting particularly in the first two sessions with a lot of cars fighting to get a clean lap. I am sure some big names might stumble. Hopefully, Michael will equal Senna's record of 6 wins this year. Its been too long since his last win. The Renaults look really strong though.

Thursday practice times:
Practice 1: http://www.formula1.com/race/result/757/9.html
Top 10 in the session
Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:16.712
2 36 Anthony Davidson Honda 1:16.872
3 2 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:16.888
4 5 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:16.973
5 4 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:17.458
6 38 Robert Kubica Sauber-BMW 1:17.869
7 35 Alexander Wurz Williams-Cosworth 1:17.949
8 12 Jenson Button Honda 1:18.329
9 37 Robert Doornbos RBR-Ferrari 1:18.394
10 11 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:18.406

Practice 2: http://www.formula1.com/race/result/757/10.html
Top 10 in the session
Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 35 Alexander Wurz Williams-Cosworth 1:15.907
2 36 Anthony Davidson Honda 1:16.075
3 4 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.138
4 1 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:16.221
5 37 Robert Doornbos RBR-Ferrari 1:16.292
6 3 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.707
7 2 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:16.721
8 14 David Coulthard RBR-Ferrari 1:16.870
9 12 Jenson Button Honda 1:16.903
10 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:17.251

Driver quotes as of Thursday: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4417/757.html
The top drivers:

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari (15th, +1.696s):
“Obviously, we cannot be too happy with what we have seen so far, although the results can be partly explained by the fact we used just one set of tyres, unlike many of the other drivers. But I’m not trying to hide the fact that the situation is not looking that good. At the moment we are too slow and we have to study the data to find out why. There is work to do, but we have enough experience to get out of this situation. The new race suit? It’s just for fun, an idea that came to me at the Madonna di Campiglio event this winter. It brings a bit more colour!”

Fernando Alonso, Renault (4th, +0.314s):
“Thursday in Monaco is always a day more for the drivers than the engineers, as we run a lot to get used to the circuit again and feel comfortable. I did a lot of laps, worked on my lines in the corners, and I managed to find a good rhythm by the end of the second session. The balance of the R26 was good straight away this morning, and it got better as the grip levels improved. I think we have done the job we needed to today, and we are in good shape.”

Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren (6th, +0.800s):
"A bit of excitement for me at the end of the first practice. I went out with less than one minute to go to complete an installation lap and a practice start. However there was a small fire which caused some damage – a bit more than necessary as the Fire Marshals were hesitant until I took the fire extinguisher myself. The team did a great job in making the necessary repairs and I was able to get some running in half way through the second session. I'm pleased with what we have achieved so far and we look competitive, but there is still along way to go."

Jenson Button, Honda (9th, +0.996s):
"It's been tough all day today and the lap time hasn't been there. On the last run we changed the set-up and it seemed to improve the car quite a bit. What you need at this circuit is confidence and I'm getting more and more confident with the set-up of the car here. We still need to work on our competitiveness for qualifying because we are not there yet."

Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren (3rd, +0.231s):
"A good start to the weekend for us. We seem to be quite competitive and have definitely made progress but its still early days and this is Monaco after all where anything can happen. I completed the planned programme, and the new parts we have introduced seem to have made a difference. The Michelin tyres are working well, so overall we are looking good. I love this track as it's such a challenge and I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the weekend."