24/05/2007
NEWS STORY
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Ahead of this afternoon's practice session the air temperature is 30 degrees C, and the track temperature is 54 degrees. It remains bright and sunny.
One of the main things discovered in this morning's session is that the super-soft tyres start to lose their effectiveness after just one lap. Therefore, although they will be the 'must have' for qualifying, they will not be seeing too much use during the race. Though, under the wonderful new rules they must make an appearance.
The lights go green, and almost immediately Liuzzi heads down the pitlane, followed by Albers, Kubica, Schumacher, Sutil and Sato.
Being first out it is Liuzzi who posts the benchmark time, but this is quickly beaten by Kubica who crosses the line at 20.641.
Eight minutes into the session Hamilton heads down the pitlane, and it isn't long before he's lighting up the timing screens in purple. His first flying lap sees him go quickest with a 1:18.033, but he immediately sets about improving, going quickest in the first two sectors of his next alp. At the line it's 17.587, as Alonso goes second with a 18.450.
Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher has arrived, the second successive Grand Prix weekend that the seven-time world Champion has attended.
Hamilton, Alonso, Kubica, Rosberg, Wurz, Barrichello, Liuzzi, Heidfeld, Button and Sato, after ten minutes of running.
Kimi Raikkonen goes fifth on his first flying lap, while Massa has yet to make an appearance.
A 1:17.240 sees Kubica go quickest, as Raikkonen improves to third, splitting the McLarens.
A beautifully controlled slide at Anthony Noghes from Kimi Raikkonen, as he closes to within 0.388s of Kubica's best. Elsewhere, Webber leaves the pits, neither Red Bull driver having posted a time in this session.
Fisichella goes fourth ahead of his former teammate Alonso, as Davidson goes sixth, ahead of Massa. Next time around however, the Brazilian improves to fourth, giving Ferrari a 2-4.
Michael Schumacher, wearing a nice 'Butch' Ferrari shirt, sits in the sunshine, watching the 'action' on one of the giant screens. Massa responds by going second (17.515), having gone quickest in the final sector.
Pace-setter Kubica, on the soft compound, goes quickest in the second sector, finally crossing the line at 16.848. The Pole now enjoys a 0.6s advantage over the Ferraris, which are covered by 0.006s.
However, all that looks about to change as Hamilton goes quickest in the first sector. The English youngster uses every centimetre of track, and then some, as he goes second with a 17.003. Next time around he once again goes quickest in the first sector, and the final sector, crossing the line at 16.365 to go quickest.
Nick Heidfeld complains of a misfire and asks to come in. However, his engineers tell him to stay out as they are working on the problem; "the pressure is recovering" they tell him.
Another lap, another improvement for Hamilton, who has now raised the benchmark with a 16.296. He's running on the harder compound by the way.
With the two options being soft and super-soft, when we refer to the harder option we mean soft, while the super-soft is the soft option. Confused? So are we.
Raikkonen is back on track, keen to close the 1.2s gap to Hamilton. He gets to within 0.347 as he goes second with a 16.643. Elsewhere, Kovalainen makes a pig's ear of Ste Devote and heads off into the little escape road.
After 35 minutes, there's still no sign of Coulthard, while Webber is currently tenth, albeit 2.3s off the pace.
As Heidfeld gets it wrong at the swimming pool, it's Hamilton, Raikkonen, Kubica, Massa, Alonso, Fisichella, Trulli, Speed, Davidson and Webber.
Kubica is on a long run, the Pole, who is currently third quickest, has completed 22 laps. Teammate, Nick Heidfeld, who is currently nineteenth, has completed 19 laps. The German team rarely goes for times on Friday, so let's not read too much into Heidfeld's position.
Coulthard finally makes it on to the timesheets, the Scot going thirteenth with a 18.656. Elsewhere, Massa makes a mistake at the swimming pool.
Liuzzi goes sixth, the Italian posting 17.898 in the Toro Rosso. Both Hondas are at the other end of the timesheets, along with Heidfeld, Schumacher, Rosberg and the Spykers.
Coulthard loses the back end of his Red Bull at the hairpin, clouting the barriers, but not too hard. That said, it's enough to warrant a return to the pits.
Although he only went quickest in the middle sector, a 16.211 is enough to take Fernando Alonso to the top pf the timesheets. Meanwhile, Davidson gets out of shape at Ste Devote and goes sideways into the tyre wall. There doesn't appear to be any serious damage, but the Englishman's session is over, his car winched to safety.
Oh dear, it's all over for Hamilton, the Englishman following the example set by Fisichella in the first session, only harder, a lot harder. The front of the McLaren is bent well out of shape, but not as bruised as the hopes of the British media. Despite having won here in his last three outings, Lewis has just discovered that what they say about Monaco isn't all media hype, the walls and barriers are unforgiving, they don't take prisoners.
Massa gets well out of shape as he comes to the hairpin, the Brazilian appearing - to these amateur eyes - to be going just a little too quickly.
In all the excitement, Trulli has climbed up to sixth, ahead of Webber, Liuzzi and Fisichella.
Hamilton and Davidson walk back to the pits together, both probably rehearsing their stories for the respective team bosses.
The red flags come out as Sutil crashes at Portier, ripping off the left-front. He appeared to clip the inside of the corner, hitting the kerb, which sent him across the track into the barrier at the other side.
With the car removed, the session resumes, with seventeen minutes remaining.
Heidfeld immediately goes ninth, crossing the line at 17.486. Meanwhile, Alonso goes quickest in the first sector. At the second split he's 0.012s up his previous best, finally crossing the line at 15.940, the first driver to dip into the 1:15s. Meanwhile, Trulli goes third, ahead of Raikkonen and Massa.
Raikkonen leaves the pits, the Finn currently 0.7s down on Alonso. The Finn posts personal bests in the first two sectors and a best overall in the third to go second, just 0.275s down on the World Champion. The Finn, who is on the softer compound, is really hitting the kerbs.
Kovalainen remains worryingly off the pace, down in seventeenth, as is Schumacher.
With four minutes of the session remaining, all eyes on Massa who is currently fifth, 0.844s off the pace. The Brazilian posts a personal best in the second sector, but then, as he slows to leave a gap to the car in front, he is passed, and almost clouted, by Fisichella. We're sure there will be words about that incident. As it happens, to add insult to injury, the move saw Fisichella leapfrog Massa on the timesheets.
It's all over for Schumacher, who goes into the barriers at the exit of the swimming pool. Much like Sutil's accident (at Portier), Ralf hit the kerb on one side of the track which launched him into the barriers at the far side. The car is winched to safety. Keke Rosberg, has a great view of the incident as he watches from the side of the track.
The session ends, with Alonso quickest, ahead of Raikkonen, Hamilton, Trulli, Fisichella, Massa, Kubica, Rosberg, Webber and Coulthard.
If nothing else, several drivers are going to come back here tomorrow, aware that they'll need to treat the kerbs, and the barriers, with a lot more respect. And that's without the threatened rain.
To check out our Monaco practice gallery, click here