Monaco: Practice – Kimi hots up, JPM looking good


By McLaren Fans
May 28 2006

With 28 Formula One cars rumbling around the streets of Monaco for the first two Practice sessions of the Grand Prix weekend, McLaren like everybody else would struggle to find some clear air. In the end the majority would keep their noses clean, and live to fight another day.

Thursday – First Session

Surprisingly the first session was very active, unlike most circuits where the race drivers normally sit out the first session, pretty much everyone got their lap counters into double figures. Fernando Alonso, who is yet to win in Monaco, set the early pace a tenth of a second ahead of Honda test driver Anthony Davidson. Davidson completed the most laps in the session, totalling 31. Toyota’s Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher were back in the pack in eighteenth and sixteenth, just behind the Ferrari of Felipe Massa. The only real drama was the sudden exit of Kimi Raikkonen who suffered a small fire towards the end of the session.

1 F. Alonso Renault 1:16.712 13
2 A. Davidson Honda 1:16.872 31
3 G. Fisichella Renault 1:16.888 12
4 M. Schumacher Ferrari 1:16.973 8
5 JP. Montoya McLaren 1:17.458 7
6 R. Kubica BMW 1:17.869 19
7 A. Wurz Williams 1:17.949 28
8 J. Button Honda 1:18.329 12
9 R. Doornbos Red Bull 1:18.394 23
10 R. Barrichello Honda 1:18.406 12
11 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:18.406 12
12 N. Rosberg Williams 1:18.480 15
13 M. Webber Williams 1:18.571 17
14 F. Massa Ferrari 1:18.695 15
15 J. Trulli Toyota 1:18.703 11
16 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:19.021 14
17 J. Villeneuve BMW 1:19.246 16
18 C. Klien Red Bull 1:19.543 10
19 N. Jani Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:19.651 25
20 G. Mondini Midland F1 1:19.669 29
21 T. Monteiro Midland F1 1:19.730 17
22 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:19.857 16
23 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:20.137 13
24 C. Albers Midland F1 1:20.552 17
25 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:21.144 23
26 F. Montagny Super Aguri 1:21.594 21
27 K. Räikkönen McLaren 2:06.592 3
28 N. Heidfeld BMW no time 1

Thursday – Second Session

Amazingly the second session was more exciting than the first, with three red flags brought out during the one-hour session. A bollard on the circuit brought the first red flag whilst Anthony Davidson and Robert Kubica both hit the barriers stopping the session. Amongst the spinners Alex Wurz found some clear air near the end of the session to go fastest, with Juan Pablo Montoya putting in a strong showing to finish the fastest race driver in third. Once again, the lap counters were sent into overdrive, with Monaco being such a short lap and the engines less stressed than there are at other venues, the drivers completed far more laps in the second session. Jarno Trulli finished eleventh completing twenty-five laps whilst teammate Ralf Schumacher was eighteenth with twenty-six laps.

The Monaco circuit speeds up dramatically over the cause of the weekend, as the circuit is a normal public road when its not being used for race weekends. Therefore expect the times to get even faster before Saturday’s all or nothing qualifying session.

1 A. Wurz Williams 1:15.907 27
2 A. Davidson Honda 1:16.075 15
3 JP. Montoya McLaren 1:16.138 24
4 F. Alonso Renault 1:16.221 18
5 R. Doornbos Red Bull 1:16.292 36
6 K. Räikkönen McLaren 1:16.707 18
7 G. Fisichella Renault 1:16.721 23
8 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:16.870 19
9 J. Button Honda 1:16.903 20
10 F. Massa Ferrari 1:17.251 25
11 J. Trulli Toyota 1:17.325 25
12 T. Monteiro Midland F1 1:17.439 30
13 R. Barrichello Honda 1:17.456 24
14 G. Mondini Midland F1 1:17.497 30
15 M. Schumacher Ferrari 1:17.603 25
16 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:17.638 31
17 M. Webber Williams 1:17.744 19
18 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:17.793 26
19 N. Rosberg Williams 1:17.845 15
20 J. Villeneuve BMW 1:17.874 13
21 C. Klien Red Bull 1:18.123 22
22 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:18.257 10
23 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:18.420 29
24 C. Albers Midland F1 1:18.430 24
25 F. Montagny Super Aguri 1:18.731 19
26 R. Kubica BMW 1:19.273 12
27 N. Jani Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:19.445 27
28 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:19.803 31