Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was the fastest both the practice sessions in the Monaca Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso ended with a lap time of 14.904 seconds. He was 0.109 faster then Nico Rosberg of Mercedes who was second in the two practice sessions.
Sebastian Vettel was third fastest driver in the practice rounds while Ferrari’s other driver Felipe Massa ended in the fourth position.
The big comeback story of the season, which has till now failed to live up to the hype, was the comeback of Michael Schumacher. The German driver ended the practice session behind Massa on fifth, followed by McLaren Drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in 7th and 9th positions respectively.
After the race, Hamilton said that although they are not on the top, the car feels good, and the feel of the track was comfortable as well. The 2008 champion also believes that the setup of the car is quite good. With the race two days away, the team is in good shape. The McLaren driver is certain that if the weather remains good, there is no reason why he and Button cannot get two out of the three podium places.
Red Bulls have been the dominant force so far in the qualifying round this season. However, the circuit of Monaco has thrown up a whole new challenge for them, which was evident in the practice sessions.
Monte Carlo is a difficult circuit to begin with, but it may be complimented by some bad weather during the qualifying rounds or even on race day. The second practice session on Thursday was held under overcast conditions.
Ferrari was proactive in its approach as the team switched the tires on both the cars by softer ones, 30 minutes before the rain poured down.
The move proved to be productive immediately, as Felipe Massa finished the quickest lap of 1 minute 15.585 seconds. Soon, the driver improved his own time. Team mate Alonso went even quicker, making good use of the softer tires.
The Spaniard, after getting the top spot, kept his momentum going and completed yet another impressive lap of 1 minute 14.904 seconds, which was the fastest time of the day.
Alonso, who was understandably overjoyed with his performance, said that he was really happy with his car, but that does not guarantee anything. There was little to choose amongst the drivers in the practice sessions. The one who loses his focus even for a brief moment in the qualifying rounds will be left behind.
Alonso’s only worrying moment came as he was making a turn at the Casino Corner. He hit a barrier, which did not cause much damage to the car. However, he was not too bothered by that, as he knows that on congested tracks, cars are bound to hit the barriers once or twice.
With an unpredictable weather and varying temperature, the conditions proved to be difficult for the drivers. As a result, most of the teams were concentrating on race set up during the afternoon which led to a sluggish second session.
Force India's Tonio Liuzzi, Vettel, Webber Williams' Nico Hulkenberg and Kubica led the way. Kubica was particularly impressive for pushing hard to get the fastest lap of the practice session.
If practice sessions are anything to go by, the qualifying on Saturday is going to be a close affair. There seems to be one thing on the minds of the big boys - to beat the Red Bull team and prove that they can be tamed on a tricky street circuit.
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