26/05/2016
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's opening session, the air temperature is 18 degrees C, whilst the track temperature is 22 degrees. It is bright and sunny.
Monaco being the circuit that it is, where accidents can and do happen, there are no third or reserve drivers on duty today.
However, the new ultrasoft tyre is on duty, making its race weekend debut alongside the supersoft and soft.
Another debut is the much-anticipated Renault engine, though only Ricciardo and Magnussen will have access to it this weekend.
Whilst, even without the upgraded engine, we expect Red Bull to do well here, the RB12 perfectly suited to the tight, twisty confines of the track, it remains to be seen how Williams will fare, the Grove outfit unable to deal with such layouts in recent years.
The lights go green and Gutierrez is first out, followed by Magnussen, Grosjean, Nasr and Palmer. The Dane is already on the new ultras.
Just five minutes in and as Hamilton, on ultras, heads down the pitlane, all 22 drivers have made an appearance. However, teammate Rosberg (ultras) is the only driver to stay out, the German posting the first time of the weekend (23.758). He subsequently improves to 21.712.
As a sign of what we might expect, Hamilton stays out to post a time also, the Briton stopping the clock at 20.240.
The pair trade times, and just ten minutes into the weekend, Hamilton has improved on last year's best from FP1, the world champion crossing the line at 18.302.
Massa, Wehrlein and Kvyat head out to join in the fun as Hamilton gets down to 17.381.
Kvyat (softs) posts a 23.760 to go third, albeit 6.379s off the pace. As Massa posts 19.828, Kvyat improves with a 21.400.
As Hamilton continues on his merry way, Rosberg heads back to the pits after 11 laps, still 1.892s down on his teammate. Massa remains third, ahead of Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Bottas and Ericsson.
Barcelona hero Verstappen goes sixth with a 20.529, but is demoted when Bottas improves to 19.663.
A number of drivers are missing the Nouveaux Chicane, whilst the Swimming Pool exit is also catching out drivers, including Magnussen who locks up as he avoids a slow Sauber.
Kvyat improves to fourth (19.143) as Rosberg spins at the Nouveau Chicane.
Game over for Massa who has clouted the barriers at Ste Devote, damaging the right-rear of his Williams. The VSC is deployed.
A couple of years back Massa had a number of incidents at this same notorious corner. Indeed, over the years he's had more than his fair share of mishaps here.
Replay shows the Brazilian (supers) had no grip whatsoever as he approached the corner.
Kvyat improves to second, 1.703s off Hamilton's pace, as Verstappen goes third, ahead of Rosberg, Massa and Perez.
A 16.764 sees Ricciardo go second, the Australian, on ultras, just 0.176s off Hamilton's pace.
Vettel is currently ninth (19.053) and Raikkonen fourteenth (19.704).
As Palmer clouts the Armco at the exit of Rascasse, the cameras cut to Gutierrez who does well to keep it altogether as he exits the tunnel and heads down to the Nouveaux Chicane.
Despite a massive slide in the final corner, Verstappen posts 17.381 to go third.
As we approach the forty minute mark, when a set of tyres have to be handed back, Wehrlein is the only driver yet to post a time.
As he slows to enter the pitlane, Ricciardo gives the finger and utters few expletives... but it is unclear to whom.
Vettel improves to fourth with a 17.514 almost bang on the forty minute mark.
Hamilton is quickest, ahead of Ricciardo, Verstappen, Vettel, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Bottas, Kvyat, Raikkonen and Perez.
Rosberg, who is now down in thirteenth, is back on track, on the ultras. As teammate Hamilton heads out, the German improves to seventh with a 17.690. The German subsequently closes to within 0.488s of Hamilton before leapfrogging the Briton with a 15.835.
"The strategists are just as important in Monaco as the drivers," points out Pirelli, "finding a clear lap and a gap in traffic is crucial to setting a quick time."
Hamilton re-takes the top spot with a 15.537, just half-a-second down on 2015's pole-winning time, as Bottas and Gutierrez head out.
Proving that nobody is perfect, Hamilton, like so many others, misses the apex at T10. He subsequently makes a mistake at Ste Devote also, the Briton's tyres appearing to be totally shot.
Having overshot the corner, he reverses back on to the track, which might not best please the stewards.
Meanwhile, Rosberg closes to within 0.101s of his teammate.
Verstappen posts 16.371 to go third, the Red Bull driver, like the Mercedes duo, on the ultras.
Sounding very much like Comic Book Guy, Alonso complains that his is the "worst out lap ever!" The Spaniard and his teammate are currently 14th and 15th.
Check out our Thursday gallery, here.
Gutierrez stops at Portier, and has to be pushed to safety. "Something went wrong, really wrong," he says, carefully adding... "with the engine".
Vettel improves to third, but remains 0.805s off Hamilton's best.
Session over for Palmer who has hit the barriers on the run to Rascasse, bring out the VSC. "Sorry guys," he says, "I hit the wall."
With fifteen minutes remaining, focus, as ever, switches to longer runs on heavy fuel in preparation for Sunday.
As Nasr gets it wrong at Ste Devote, Sainz spins at the notorious T10 (Nouveaux Chicane).
"We've seen so far that the ultrasoft is around a second per lap quicker than supersoft," reports Pirelli.
A massive, heart-in-mouth, wobble in the tunnel for Bottas, as Kvyat makes full use of the run off - such as it is - at Ste Devote. "It's OK, I'm alright," the Russian advises his team.
Button is the latest in a long, long, long line of drivers to get it wrong at T10. The Briton still down in 15th, his teammate 13th.
The VSC is deployed again as debris is spotted at T1.
"Puncture, puncture," Rosberg tells his team.
Button also has a puncture, front-left, and also some damage to his front wing. He is told to pit.
Replay shows the Briton ran over what appeared to be a piece of carbonfibre that fell from Rosberg's car. However, it's unclear if it was something from the Mercedes or possibly a manhole cover. Indeed, the damage to Button's front wing suggests the latter.
With around three minutes remaining the session is red flagged.
The session ends with Hamilton quickest, ahead of Rosberg, Vettel, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Perez, Raikkonen and Sainz.
Bottas is eleventh, ahead of Grosjean, Alonso, Gutierrez, Button, Nasr, Magnussen, Ericsson, Massa, Palmer, Haryanto and Wehrlein.
Check out our Thursday gallery, here.