Saturday, May 23, 2009

Alonso fastest in Monaco practice

MONACO GRAND PRIX
Venue: Monte Carlo Dates: 21-24 May (no action on Friday 22) Coverage: Live coverage of Saturday's qualifying session - which starts at 1300 BST - and Sunday's race across BBC TV, radio and online. Find complete listings here

Fernando Alonso
Spain's Alonso has struggled for consistency this season in his Renault car


By Chris Whyatt

Renault's Fernando Alonso went quickest in practice for the first time this season as drivers geared up for Monaco Grand Prix qualifying.

The two-time world champion came through late on in the session to pip Brawn GP's Jenson Button with a time of one minute 15.164 seconds.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton looked impressive for the second day running on the tight Monaco street circuit.

He finished seventh fastest with team-mate Heikki Kovalainen up in third.

That marks a rare occasion this season when the Finn has finished faster than Hamilton - but the Englishman appeared to be enjoying utilising his aggressive style as he led for much of the session.

Monte Carlo's twisty track - the shortest in Formula 1 with the most gear changes per lap - is thought to give drivers the chance to showcase their raw ability, and Alonso is considered to be one of the most naturally gifted there is.

His season has been inconsistent, with fifth in Spain his best result so far, as Renault have struggled to get to grips with the energy boost system (Kers) which they have abandoned for now.

But the Spaniard feels he can make up ground in Monaco, irrespective of the car's performance.

"Anything can happen here," he told BBC Sport. "Qualifying is 70% of the race here. We can make up more points than usual."

Across all 10 teams, no significant problems occurred in the final practice session as teams get ready for qualifying at 1300 BST.

Most drivers went out on soft tyres before changing to the super-soft option tyres towards the end of the session to bring down their times.

Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen finished fifth and sixth fastest respectively while Brawn's Rubens Barrichello was fourth.

ะพ 1:16 AM

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