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[McLaren Fan]

From autosport.com:

Raikkonen fastest in practice 1 - Monaco

By Matt Beer Thursday, May 22nd 2008, 09:36 GMT

Kimi Raikkonen beat Lewis Hamilton to the fastest time in opening practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, in a session interrupted by a long red flag to attend to a loose drain cover.

The 16-minute stoppage began just before the one-hour mark, after officials noticed the problem with the drain cover on the hill out of Sainte Devote. It was repaired in time for the session to resume for the final 21 minutes.

Hamilton had been quickest for McLaren prior to the interruption, having lapped in 1:17.078 early on. He then improved the benchmark to 1:16.216 shortly after the session was restarted

But with nine minutes to go, he was usurped by Raikkonen, as the Ferrari driver produced a 1:15.948 to beat Hamilton by 0.268 seconds. Those times would stand as neither driver managed a clear lap on their last runs.

Heikki Kovalainen beat Raikkonen's initial sector times in the second McLaren, but could not sustain the advantage around the final part of the lap and ended up third.

Raikkonen's teammate Felipe Massa completed the top four in the second Ferrari, with Williams' Nico Rosberg beating BMW's Robert Kubica to fifth place in the closing seconds.

Double Monaco winner Fernando Alonso took seventh, as his Renault teammate Nelson Piquet continued to struggle. The rookie was only 18th fastest in the session, 1.5 seconds slower than Alonso.

Behind Honda's Rubens Barrichello and Red Bull's Mark Webber, Monaco specialist Giancarlo Fisichella achieved an excellent 10th place for Force India, while the new Toro Rosso showed early promise as Sebastien Bourdais claimed 13th place.

Jarno Trulli and Nick Heidfeld were the only drivers to fall foul of the barriers in the opening session. A brush with the wall on the approach to the tunnel broke the Toyota's suspension, and Trulli had to park on the exit of the chicane.

Nick Heidfeld came to a halt at Casino Square around the same time after apparently damaging the rear of his BMW - the German quizzically examing the back of the car after exiting the cockpit - while a throttle problem on his Red Bull prevented David Coulthard from completing a flying lap, as his car came to a halt between the chicane and Tabac.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:15.948 26
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:16.216 + 0.268 27
3. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:16.248 + 0.300 28
4. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:16.292 + 0.344 26
5. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:16.653 + 0.705 27
6. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:16.834 + 0.886 23
7. Alonso Renault (B) 1:17.498 + 1.550 25
8. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:17.511 + 1.563 26
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:17.798 + 1.850 23
10. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:17.835 + 1.887 26
11. Glock Toyota (B) 1:17.942 + 1.994 26
12. Button Honda (B) 1:18.153 + 2.205 26
13. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:18.245 + 2.297 30
14. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:18.263 + 2.315 13
15. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:18.274 + 2.326 28
16. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:18.360 + 2.412 16
17. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:18.360 + 2.412 25
18. Piquet Renault (B) 1:18.955 + 3.007 32
19. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:19.176 + 3.228 35
20. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) No time 3

All Timing Unofficial


Hamilton controls practice 2 - Monaco

By Matt Beer Thursday, May 22nd 2008, 13:32 GMT

Lewis Hamilton at MonacoLewis Hamilton controlled the second Thursday practice session in Monte Carlo, leading the way for the majority of the hour.

The McLaren driver topped the times early on, then was briefly usurped by Nico Rosberg when the Williams switched to soft tyres halfway through the session.

But Rosberg only stayed at the head of the pack for ten minutes before Hamilton too went for the softer Bridgestones and improved to 1:15.140, beating the Williams' time by just under four tenths of a second.

Rosberg was able to hang on to second place however, ahead of Ferrari duo Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, with Heikki Kovalainen fifth in the second McLaren.

Both Renaults were damaged in almost identical crashes at Sainte Devote. First the struggling Nelson Piquet spun into the barriers and deranged his rear wing, then his teammate Fernando Alonso lost control at the same spot 12 minutes later.

Unlike Piquet, Alonso managed to keep the car moving, but as he slid wildly sideways, his left-rear corner tagged the barriers, damaging the suspension and wing.

Although he successfully hauled the Renault back around to the pits, Alonso deposited plenty of debris along the way, forcing a four-minute red flag so the marshals could tidy up behind him.

While several other drivers had to short-cut the chicane, the only other men to actually strike the barriers were Jarno Trulli and Adrian Sutil. Trulli scraped his Toyota down the wall after a rough flight over the kerbs on the exit of the Swimming Pool, while Sutil lost his front wing on the Rascasse guard rail in the final minutes.

Despite his accident, Alonso managed to repeat his seventh place from the morning, just behind BMW's Robert Kubica.

The two Hondas took eighth and tenth - with Jenson Button a scant 0.067 seconds faster than Rubens Barrichello - as Kazuki Nakajima edged the second Williams between them.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:15.140 40
2. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:15.533 + 0.393 39
3. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:15.572 + 0.432 42
4. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:15.869 + 0.729 37
5. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:15.881 + 0.741 39
6. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:16.296 + 1.156 34
7. Alonso Renault (B) 1:16.310 + 1.170 27
8. Button Honda (B) 1:16.351 + 1.211 45
9. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:16.372 + 1.232 40
10. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:16.418 + 1.278 32
11. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:16.426 + 1.286 44
12. Glock Toyota (B) 1:16.688 + 1.548 46
13. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:17.094 + 1.954 39
14. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:17.131 + 1.991 39
15. Piquet Renault (B) 1:17.246 + 2.106 35
16. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:17.251 + 2.111 33
17. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:17.379 + 2.239 28
18. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:17.581 + 2.441 38
19. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:18.176 + 3.036 31
20. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:18.225 + 3.085 38

[Jensonb]

That was really weird with the Renaults. I was amazed that both of them had basically the same accidents.

Good work from Rosberg.

[7UpJordan]

Just as I thought, the Williams is on song here, and Monaco is a track that Rosberg loves. Nakajima did well in P2 to be in the top 10. Nico has said there's "even more" to come out of the car. If Rosberg can stick the car on the front row he's got a chance to win the race thanks to the FW30 being the best car off the line.

[McLaren Fan]

From autosport.com:

Ferrari struggling with super soft tyres

By Pablo Elizalde Thursday, May 22nd 2008, 16:13 GMT

Kimi Raikkonen during practiceFerrari driver Kimi Raikkonen admitted his team were struggling with the new soft tyres introduced for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

Bridgestone has brought the super soft option for the first time this season, and the Italian squad were unable to get them to work properly during today's practice.

As a result, Raikkonen had to settle for third position, nearly half a second behind Lewis Hamilton in the afternoon, after having topped the times in the morning.

"I would say this was a normal day of free practice," said the Finn. "We went quite well, especially on used tyres in the morning. But we struggled a bit to do a time on new tyres in the second session and now we have to look at the data carefully to understand how to improve.

"There is plenty of time to do that and so I am not particularly worried, at least at the moment."

Teammate Felipe Mass was fourth fastest, the Brazilian also failing to extract the maximum from the super softs.

He said: "Our rivals are very strong here, even allowing for the unknown factor of fuel loads. I wasn't able to do a good lap on the soft tyres, but things went well on the hard ones: we have to study the situation calmly and try to get all the details right.

"If we compare today with the same time last year, I think we have made a step forward. We have changed the settings on the car compared to the past and now we hope we will see the benefits of this choice."

Ferrari team manager Luca Baldisserri was sure the weekend would not be easy, especially seeing McLaren's form.

"We were expecting a particularly difficult weekend and these three hours of free practice have not give us any reason to change our minds," he said.

"While it is true that our preparations for this race have produced some results, it is equally true that our main rivals have not been twiddling their thumbs either and therefore have turned up here in very competitive shape.

"Our weak point today was mainly to do with performance on new tyres, especially on the softer tyre. We must carefully study the day and try and make the necessary changes so as to be competitive at the highest level.

"On top of that, we must also keep a careful eye on the weather, which could be the decisive factor for Saturday's qualifying and especially in Sunday's race."

If Ferrari struggle to get the tyres working by qualifying, they'll not be starting on the front row of the grid. However, as Hamilton munches up his tyres (and, to a much lesser degree, McLaren in general), the Ferraris could come into their own at the end of stints and the race. Could make an intense finish methinks. 7Up's tip on Williams was also correct. I'd like to see them do well. Their holding up the Ferraris would be nice should McLaren be winning or trying to catch them.

[al4x]

didnt expect the rear win incident from FA but i did from piquet lol

at least FA set the 7th fastest time, renaults true position atm (4th)

not too many suprises really, could be LH day

[Denthúl]

Could be, al4x. However, there's also a very realistic win in there for Heikki if he can qualify on the front row again and continues his heavy-load trend. Once Raikkonen, Massa and Hamilton make their pit stops, all he needs to do is put in some blinding laps and he could take the lead.

Of course, there's also that possibility of rain and that, along with the number of incidents that usually take place at Monaco, could give us a winner that isn't a McLaren or Ferrari driver. That would be ace

[Hanwombat]

Yeah saw this earlier

Was a little strange with the Renault incidents, ah well, Fernando still managed to maintain a good top 10

[Mikep99]

Its looking good for McLaren & Hammy I think but it still could be anyones race, Monaco is so unpridictable especially if it rains.
I am expecting another exciting race.

[McLaren Fan]

Its looking good for McLaren & Hammy I think but it still could be anyones race, Monaco is so unpridictable especially if it rains.
I am expecting another exciting race.

Not to mention a safety car scenario, or indeed Williams or somebody throwing a spanner in McLaren and Ferrari's plans.

[Mikep99]

Some of the action

Heaven - My two passions in one shot




Everyones favorite out and about



I wish I was out there

[Rivelution]

I'm happy that Rosberg has the 2nd fastest time in the 2nd session. Hopefuly Williams will get a podium at Monaco.

didnt expect the rear wing incident from FA but i did from piquet lol

Yeah when I saw that he spun out, I thought "what a suprise." lol poor Nelson

[Jensonb]

Honda look pretty handy. Praying for points over here. I think they're in with a damn good chance if it rains, Mr. Button pretty hand in the wet.

[al4x]

I'm happy that Rosberg has the 2nd fastest time in the 2nd session. Hopefuly Williams will get a podium at Monaco.

didnt expect the rear wing incident from FA but i did from piquet lol

Yeah when I saw that he spun out, I thought "what a suprise." lol poor Nelson

i can see me turning the teevee off about half way through this one in disgust, its gonna be a one car race for renault im sure,

drivers circuit, piquet, its your final chance in my books!

[f1ea]

Heaven - My two passions in one shot

What, you like reading?

[f1ea]

Ah wow, for the first time in many years a true Monaco thriller. On F1 terms, of course. The strategizing for this Monaco weekend will definitely be one to remember, specially with the probable rain. Who knows if some of the guys are running rain scenarios on practice.

Is Nico trying to pull an Alonso... at home?
regardless... a win or podium would be a great gift for Frank's 600th. He'll look mighty behing them red fire dragons.