Pos No Driver Team Time/Retired Gap Laps

1 1 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:15.948 26
2 22 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.216 0.268 27
3 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.248 0.300 28
4 2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:16.292 0.344 26
5 7 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:16.653 0.705 27
6 4 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:16.834 0.886 23
7 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:17.498 1.550 25
8 17 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:17.511 1.563 26
9 10 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:17.798 1.850 23
10 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:17.835 1.887 26
11 12 Timo Glock Toyota 1:17.942 1.994 26
12 16 Jenson Button Honda 1:18.153 2.205 26
13 14 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 1:18.245 2.297 30
14 3 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:18.263 2.315 13
15 8 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:18.274 2.326 28
16 11 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:18.360 2.412 16
17 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:18.360 2.412 25
18 6 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 1:18.955 3.007 32
19 15 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari 1:19.176 3.228 35
20 9 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault no time 3

Practice one - Raikkonen gives Ferrari edge on McLaren
Ferrari and McLaren began practice here in Monaco on Thursday morning as they mean to go on: head-to-head. Lewis Hamilton was on the pace immediately and was fastest for most of the session as he worked down to 1m 16.216s. With 10 minutes to go, however, Kimi Raikkonen just aced that with 1m 15.948s, to set the fastest time by 0.268s.

Heikki Kovalainen showed his intentions with the third-fastest lap of 1m 16.248s to edge out Felipe Massa, who registered 1m 16.292s for Ferrari. The top four were thus covered by only 0.344s!

Late in the day Nico Rosberg jumped up to fifth for Williams with 1m 16.653s, then came Robert Kubica for BMW Sauber on 1m 16.834s and Fernando Alonso for Renault on 1m 17.498s. The top 10 was completed by Rubens Barrichello on 1m 17.511s for Honda, Mark Webber on 1m 17.798s for Red Bull, and Giancarlo Fisichella on 1m 17.835s for Force India.

The session was stopped for 10 minutes when just over half an hour remained, as FIA representatives examined a loose drain cover on the run up Beau Rivage towards Massenet.

Timo Glock was Toyota’s lead runner on 1m 17.942s in 11th place, after 2004 winner Jarno Trulli hit a wall (probably at Portier) and damaged his left rear suspension. He languished in 16th place on 1m 18.360s as a result.

Jenson Button was 12th in the second Honda on 1m 18.153s, then came Sebastien Bourdais in the new Toro Rosso STR3 on 1m 18.245s, Nick Heidfeld, whose BMW Sauber rolled to a halt at Massenet late in the session after he had recorded 1m 18.263s, Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima (1m 18.274s), Trulli, Force India’s Adrian Sutil (1m 18.360s), Renault’s Nelson Piquet (1m 18.955s) and Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel (1m 19.176s).

David Coulthard was 20th having failed to set a time after his Red Bull glided to a halt down by the chicane early on.

Source: Formula1.com

Pos No Driver Team Time/Retired Gap Laps

1 22 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.140 40
2 7 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:15.533 0.393 39
3 1 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:15.572 0.432 42
4 2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:15.869 0.729 37
5 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.881 0.741 39
6 4 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:16.296 1.156 34
7 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:16.310 1.170 27
8 16 Jenson Button Honda 1:16.351 1.211 45
9 8 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:16.372 1.232 40
10 17 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:16.418 1.278 32
11 3 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:16.426 1.286 44
12 12 Timo Glock Toyota 1:16.688 1.548 46
13 10 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:17.094 1.954 39
14 9 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:17.131 1.991 39
15 6 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 1:17.246 2.106 35
16 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:17.251 2.111 33
17 11 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:17.379 2.239 28
18 14 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 1:17.581 2.441 38
19 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:18.176 3.036 31
20 15 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari 1:18.225 3.085 38

Practice two - Hamilton on top, Rosberg shines

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton is so fired up to do well in Monte Carlo this weekend, and on Thursday afternoon he finished up exactly where he wanted to be, almost four-tenths ahead of his opposition.

The 23 year-old Englishman lapped his MP4-23 in 1m 15.140s, well below Fernando Alonso’s 2007 pole time of 1m 15.726s, after a bravura display of running close to the unyielding barriers that await the unwary.

Nico Rosberg led the pursuit for Williams, taking his FW30 round in 1m 15.533s as entrant Frank Williams celebrates his 600th Grand Prix. The Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were third and fourth, the Finn lapping in 1m 15.572s, the Brazilian in 1m 15.869s. Right behind them came Heikki Kovalainen in the second McLaren, with 1m 15.881s.

Robert Kubica headed the next batch with 1m 16.296s for BMW Sauber, chased by Alonso’s Renault (1m 16.310s), late-improving Jenson Button in the Honda (1m 16.351s), Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima (1m 16.372s), Honda’s Rubens Barrichello (1m 16.418s), BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld (1m 16.426s) and Toyota’s Timo Glock (1m 16.688s).

Mark Webber and David Coulthard put their Red Bull RB4s 13th and 14th in 1m 17.094s and 1m 17.131s respectively, with Nelson Piquet 15th for Renault on 1m 17.246s. Giancarlo Fisichella was right behind the second Renault in his Force India with 1m 17.251s, then came Toyota’s Jarno Trulli (1m 17.379s), Sebastien Bourdais (1m 17.581s) in the new Toro Rosso, Force India’s Adrian Sutil (1m 18.176s) and Sebastian Vettel (1m 18.225s) in the second Toro Rosso.

Renault had a tough session, first with Piquet spinning his R28 into the wall at Ste Devote and damaging his rear wing, and then Alonso making a similar error which temporarily brought out the red flag.

Webber missed the chicane and bounced across the kerbs, Raikkonen lost a better lap after Massa had dislodged a kerb marker pole the previous tour, and Sutil damaged his Force India’s front wing in a slow-motion off at Rascasse.

With rain forecast for Friday the track may be washed clean of the rubber that it was building up, which could make Saturday’s final practice session even more critical.

Source: Formula1.com