Formula 1 News

sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

HAMILTON REFUSES TO FEEL DEFLATED

Lewis Hamilton has vowed to keep fighting after being "absolutely blown away" by his latest tyre failure.

Hamilton was coasting to second behind pole-to-flag winner Mark Webber in the Spanish Grand Prix when, on the penultimate lap, he suffered a suspected left-front tyre rim failure that caused a puncture.

Hamilton's McLaren was immediately pitched into the gravel and on into a tyre barrier from which he fortunately emerged unscathed.

The 25-year-old was robbed of 18 precious points, and instead of heading to next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix a point behind championship leader and team-mate Jenson Button, he is 21 adrift.

As Hamilton has discovered to his cost in the past, Formula One can be a cruel sport.

In qualifying for the 2007 European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring a puncture led to Hamilton hurtling into a tyre wall at 180mph, and then at that year's Turkish Grand Prix another puncture relegated him to fifth.

"It was a similar feeling to what happened at the Nurburgring," said Hamilton.

"This is my third or fourth tyre blow out in my career. More than most people have in their whole lifetime.

"There was no warning, the car felt great, so it was a surprise and a very disappointing end to the race.

"Up until that point it was pretty positive. I was just cruising to the finish line and heading for some great points.

"It was looking like a great job for us, but then it's never over until its over.

"Eighteen points and I'd have been right back in the championship battle, but as it is, I'm a little bit further back now.

"So I'm absolutely blown away that something happened on the last two laps of the race, but that's motor racing.

"You just have to keep your chin up and look forward."

Admitting the incident was "a reality check", Hamilton also adopted a philosophical outlook, appreciating these are still early days in the title race with another 14 grands prix to come.

"The team did an incredible job," added Hamilton.

"It was great to come here and make such a good step forward, and second would have been perfect for the team in the constructors' and drivers' championships.

"But there are many more races to go, so the guys shouldn't be hard on themselves because we can still fight for the championship."

Assessing his prospects for next weekend's race in Monaco, Hamilton said: "To split the Red Bulls was a real positive step for us.

"Going into the next race we will be very close to them and I hope I can challenge for a win."

It was also a bitterly frustrating day for world champion Button as he started fifth, but dropped to sixth after his pit stop due to a delay sparked by his clutch dragging, resulting in wheel spin and his crew unable to fit his rear tyres.

The 30-year-old then emerged behind Michael Schumacher, and despite a number of attempts to pass the 41-year-old in his Mercedes into turn one, Button never managed to make a move stick.

"As everyone knows, it's almost impossible to overtake around here, and Michael was moving about a bit to make sure I couldn't get past," said Button.

"That was frustrating because the pace of my car was really good, but that doesn't make any difference if you can't overtake.

"I was trying so hard to get past that I damaged my tyres quite a bit.

"Fifth wasn't the result we wanted, and it wasn't the result we really deserved either because we were pretty quick.

"I guess you could say that was both a positive and a negative because I couldn't get to use that pace fully today."

:thum:

sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

McLAREN TO INVESTIGATE TYRE DRAMA

McLaren will today launch an investigation into the penultimate-lap drama that robbed Lewis Hamilton of 18 valuable points in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

Hamilton was poised for second place at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya after driving a faultless race until a suspected left- front tyre rim failure plunged the 25-year-old into a tyre wall.

It means Hamilton now heads into Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix 21 points adrift of team-mate Jenson Button when he might otherwise have been only a point down.

"For Lewis, it was just one of those days," said team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

"He drove brilliantly, an impressively disciplined yet excitingly combative performance.

"He posted the fastest lap of the race on his way to what would have been a richly deserved second place had he not been forced to retire within spitting distance of the chequered flag.

"The parts will now be meticulously analysed back at the McLaren Technology Centre.

"Until we've done that we won't be able to make any definitive statements about what we think it was that caused the problem."

It is not the first time Hamilton has suffered tyre issues as he hurtled into a tyre barrier at 175mph in qualifying for the 2007 European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.

Several weeks later another puncture dropped Hamilton to fifth at the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul.

After yesterday's race the 2008 world champion admitted to being "absolutely blown away" by this latest problem, but has vowed to keep fighting.

"This is my third or fourth tyre blow out in my career. More than most people have in their whole lifetime," said Hamilton.

"There was no warning, the car felt great, so it was a surprise and a very disappointing end to the race.

"Up until that point it was pretty positive. I was just cruising to the finish line and heading for some great points.

"It was looking like a great job for us, but then it's never over until its over.

"Eighteen points and I'd have been right back in the championship battle, but as it is, I'm a little bit further back now.

"So I'm absolutely blown away that something happened on the last two laps of the race, but that's motor racing.

"You just have to keep your chin up and look forward."

Whitmarsh echoed Hamilton's sentiments, appreciating McLaren are still in a very strong position in both championships despite a lights-to-flag victory for Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber.

"Naturally enough, all of us at McLaren feel a little disappointed to have lost 18 world championship points at the 11th hour," added Whitmarsh.

"But there are nonetheless a lot of positives we can take from the weekend.

"We showed strong race pace, we're still leading both the drivers' and constructors' championships, and the next grand prix is at Monaco.

"McLaren has won that race no fewer than 15 times, significantly more than any other team in Formula One history.

"We'll be racing on the famous streets of the principality in a few days' time, and you can be sure we'll be doing everything in our power to add to our win tally there."

:thum:

sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

SPANISH GP: LAP-BY-LAP REPORT

FINISH: Please join us again next weekend for the Monaco Grand Prix, which takes place in Monte Carlo

FINISH: Well that's it from Barcelona. Well done to Red Bull, another great race for the team

FINISH: Michael Schumacher is fourth for Merc GP ahead of Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, Adrian Sutil and Robert Kubica

FINISH: Fernando Alonso finishes second with Sebastian Vettel completing the podium

FINISH: Mark Webber claimed the 2010 Spanish Grand Prix victory! Well done Mark

Lap 66: Webber is on his last lap - and is heading for his first win of the season

Lap 65: And Hamilton is out of the grand prix. Front left puncture through Turn 3 sent him sidewards into the barrier and out of the race

Lap 64: Webber is now just 12s up on Hamilton and cruising to the finishing line

Lap 63: Schumacher looks to have fifth in the bag as he is three seconds up on Button

Lap 62: Lucas di Grassi and Timo Glock are the last two runners still in the grand prix. But they are three and four laps down respectively

Lap 61: Webber has lapped everyone up to and including Barrichello in 10th place

SKYBET: New Championship Odds Skybet : Vettel 7/4, Hamilton 5/2, Alonso 3/1, Webber 6/1, Button 15/2. If it stays this way, Button leads the championship on 68pts by just a point from Lewis (67). 17points will separate the top 6

Lap 60: Kubica is chasing Sutil for eighth place while Rosberg is now all over the back of Liuzzi

Lap 59: Hamilton sets a new fastest lap time

Lap 58: Despite concerns, Vettel is still in the race and in fourth place

Lap 57: Red Bull have cleared a place in the garage as they fear Vettel could be out of it shortly

Lap 56: So it now looks as if Spain will have a Spaniard on the podium

Lap 55: Vettel is in the pits. He appears to be having tyre problems and has to pit for new rubber. He comes out behind Alonso

SKYBET: Mark Webber was 16/1 to complete a Race Hat-trick (Race Win, Pole, Fastest Lap) before Saturday's qualifying session

Lap 54: Webber leads by more than 15s over Hamilton and one has to say, barring a aliens landing on top of his car, the Aussie will claim this win

Lap 53: And yet Button is still stuck behind Schumacher!

SKYBET: It's now 1/20 that Webber extends the amazing Pole Position record at Barcelona. If he wins now, it will be the 13th time in 14 years that Pole has won this race!

Lap 52: Rosberg finally overtakes Hulkenberg with a great inside/outside move

Lap 51: Rosberg looks up the inside of Hulkenberg, but the Williams driver is showing no sign of cracking under the pressure

Lap 50: Webber is 16.3s clear at the front of the pack

Lap 49: Closest battle in the race is between Hulkenberg and Rosberg, who are fighting over 15th place

Lap 48: 19 runners still in the race after Buemi, Chandhok, de la Rosa and Senna retired while Kovalainen failed to start

Lap 47: Sutil and Kubica are holding station in eighth and ninth places while Barrichello is P10

Lap 46: Buemi has retired! His fourth trip into the pits and this time he stays there

Lap 45: Webber is quickest again

Lap 44: This is the same problem Button has been having since he found himself behind Schumacher after the pit stops. Just cos you can catch, doesn't mean you can pass!

Lap 43: Rosberg is all over Hulkenberg, quite a bit quicker and yet still cannot pass him. Oy vey!

Lap 42: And Alonso is a tenth quicker again

Lap 41: Alonso surpass Webber's best, clocking a 1:25.868

Lap 41: Rosberg, though, sets a fastest final sector time on his fresh rubber. Wonder if Ferrari are paying attention

Lap 40: Another new fastest lap from Webber. Where is he finding this pace from? Unbelievable

Lap 39: It's still Webber at the front, 11s up on Hamilton with Vettel and Alonso behind

Lap 38: Rosberg puts on new soft tyres, he was 15th before pitting so it's a good gamble as it gives Merc info on whether or not they should pit Schumacher

Lap 37: Ferrari have informed Alonso that he may have to pit again as he is 23s ahead of Schumacher, so it wouldn't hurt and would give him a better chance to catch Vettel

Lap 36: Schumacher does a personal best to put a second between himself and Button

Lap 35: Alguersuari has been handed a drive-through penalty for his incident with Chandhok. The stewards deemed him to have closed the door on the HRT driver

Lap 34: Hulkenberg pits, allowing Petrov to put his foot down and try to build a lead up over Kobayashi

Lap 33: They are behind Hulkenberg and looking for a way by the Williams driver

Lap 32: Petrov and Kobayashi are having a great battle, which the Renault driver is winning at the moment

Lap 31: Webber did a 1:26.469 on the previous lap as once again he extended his lead at the front

Lap 30: Chandhok retires due to damage from earlier incident

SKYBET: Webber into 1/8 with Skybet as he hopes to close out an incident free race, while Hamilton can be backed at 7/1 and Vettel, chasing hard, is 9/1. Its 50/1 BAR

Lap 29: Chandhok pits for new front wing after driving into the back of Alguersuari, who had just lapped him

Lap 28: Webber goes quicker still! Unbelievable pace from the Aussie

Lap 27: Massa is told by his team that his wing is broken but as his lap times are okay and isn't feeling any adverse effects he should just stay out for now

Lap 26: Button sniffs up the inside of Schumacher at the end of the main straight but just isn't close enough to pull off a move

Lap 25: The train behind Schumacher encounters traffic in the form of Chandhok, who Massa taps. It looks as if he has some damage to his front wing, which he confirms to his team

Lap 25: Webber is flying! The Aussie is looking supreme around the Barcelona circuit and extends his lead to 9.9s

Lap 24: Buemi takes his penalty

Lap 23: Drive-through penalty for Buemi for an unsafe return to the track

Lap 22: Button is again harassing Schumacher. But again, the German won't let him by and is fighting tooth and nail to hold onto fifth place

Lap 21: Webber does a new fastest lap, a 1:27.099. And de la Rosa does retire

Lap 21: De la Rosa has pitted and doesn't appear to be leaving any time soon

Lap 20: So after the first round of stops, Webber is leading by 8.8s over Hamilton, Vettel is third, a further 1.3s back, followed by Alonso, Schumacher and Button

Lap 20: Button is all over the back of Schumacher but the willy German isn't willing to just move aside and Button has to yield

Lap 19: Hamilton gets out of the pits just ahead of Vettel and they come across a backmarker, which means Hamilton has to swing out, forcing Vettel off the track. Hamilton takes and keeps the position, so he too has made up one in the pit stops

Lap 19: Trulli and Buemi are under investigation from the stewards

Lap 18: Webber pits and so too does Hamilton

Lap 18: Problems for Button, who has a slow stop and comes out on track behind Schumacher. So the German has gained a position

Lap 17: Alonso pits from fourth place as does Button, Alguersuari, Kubica, Hulkenberg and Kobayashi

Lap 16: Rosberg emerges down in 17th place

Lap 15: Problems for Rosberg. He comes into the pits, was given the signal to go but his one tyre, front right, appeared to be on fire from the hot brakes. He had to be pushed back onto his pit box and finally got back out into the race

Lap 15: Schumacher pits from sixth and Massa from seventh. Schumi gets out ahead of the Brazilian and returns to the race behind Barrichello

Lap 14: Petrov pits from 15th place and Webber is once again fastest of all with a 1:27.357

Lap 14: Now Buemi passes Trulli but meets Liuzzi as he exits the pits, sending Buemi running wide. He manages to get back on the track ahead of Trulli

Lap 13: Oh yes! Another passing move. This time it's Buemi who powers his way by Glock while Liuzzi comes into the pits

Lap 12: Another fastest lap from Webber, and that's about the entire sum of the excitement at present

Lap 11: Alonso does a personal best as he tries to pull away from Button

Lap 10: Webber, Vettel and Hamilton are the only drivers lapping in the 1:27s, while Alonso to Massa are in the 1:28s

Lap 9: Webber is slowly but surely pulling away from Vettel, increasing the gap to over two seconds

Lap 8: However, the best battle on track at present is Kubica chasing down Jaime Alguersuari for ninth place

Lap 7: Button is less than a second behind Alonso with Schumacher 2.3s further back

Lap 6: And we have a genuine overtaking move as Petrov gets ahead of Trulli for 16th place

Lap 6: Massa is told he is quicker than Schumacher ahead of him and should be able to take him, he just needs to move

Lap 5: Huge cheers from the grandstands whenever Alonso passes by. He is currently P4, 4.2s behind Webber

Lap 4: The Red Bulls are two seconds up on Hamilton

Lap 3: A 1:28.074 for Webber as he tries to build a lead over Vettel at the front

Lap 3: Buemi has pitted for a new front wing, which was damaged on de la Rosa left rear tyre. He is down in 21st place, one position in front of the Spaniard

Lap 2: Bruno Senna is out the race, stopping somewhere in sector three

Lap 2: Awful start for Kobayashi, he's down in 16th place. De la Rosa pits for fresh rubber after his first set were damaged in a minor coming together with Buemi

Lap 1: And it's a clean first lap from everyone - well that makes a change

Lap 1: Webber gets off clean and Vettel slots in behind him, Hamilton is third, Alonso fourth, Button, Schumacher, Massa and Sutil

START: And we are go at Barcelona!

13h04: The grid reforms and we are ready for the start of the 2010 Spanish GP

13h02: The drivers get away without any problems as make around the track, weaving in a bid to bring tyres up to temperature and keep them there

13h00: Formation lap is underway, sans Kovalainen

12h59: Problems for Kovalainen, who is being pushed into the pit lane by his mechanics

12h59: The grid is cleared of all personnel

12h55: The drivers are climbing into their cars, getting ready for the formation lap

12h51: Ross Brawn is having a quick chat with Charlie Whiting on the grid before the FIA race director moves on

12h45: Pit lane is now closed

12h39: Schumacher has arrived on the grid. Is this the day that the German finally proves he is back and finishes onthe podium?

12h35: Alonso ventures out but heads back into the pits so that he can do two laps

12h33: The track temperature is 33'C, with a warm 21' ambient. There is also a strong breeze blowing

SKYBET: Where is the Skybet Blimp when you need it? This race hinges solely on the weather today. If it stays dry, whoever gets ahead in the opening lap should have a fantastic shot at victory, Webber is 5/4, and Vettel at 11/8. Should the rains open, its anyone's game, and Jenson Button has proved popular - he's now 16/1, Hamilton is 6/1 and Alonso can be backed at Skybet at 10/1 ahead of the race.

12h30: Pit lane is open for the drivers to make their way to the grid

12h22: Felipe Massa and Kamui Kobayashi completed the top ten ahead of Adrian Sutil and Pedro de la Rosa

12h20: Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher make up the third row after the German finally got one over on his team-mate Nico Rosberg. The younger Merc driver qualified P8, putting him next to Robert Kubica on the grid

12h11: Hamilton is lining up alongside arch rival and home-town favourite Fernando Alonso, who is using Ferrari's f-duct for the first time this weekend

12h05: The Red Bull racers are on the front row of the grid, their third lock-out this season. Mark Webber starting ahead of Sebastian Vettel and unless it does rain, that is expected to remain as such... it's only a case of which of the two wins as Red Bull were far superior in qualifying yesterday, almost a full second up third placed Lewis Hamilton

12h02: There are a few clouds overhead but no sign of the rain that was causing some drivers a few headaches - and that some were wishing for. But who knows, it could all change

12h00: Welcome to coverage of the Spanish GP, round five of the 2010 F1 World Championship

:thum:

sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

HAMILTON FEARS MONACO DISASTER

Lewis Hamilton's love for the Monaco Grand Prix could be tested this weekend as he fears "a disaster" could be looming on the horizon.

Hamilton will start as one of the favourites to repeat his 2008 triumph and rekindle his title hopes after a suspected tyre rim failure cost him second place in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Instead of heading into the famous race around the principality a point behind McLaren team-mate Jenson Button, Hamilton will start 21 points adrift and eager to forget what transpired on the penultimate lap at the Circuit de Catalunya.

But Monaco this year promises to be a very different proposition as there are 24 cars on the grid, with the six newcomers from Virgin, Lotus and Hispania Racing considerably slower.

Around Monaco's twisty, narrow streets, there will be an unknown element to qualifying and the race, even more so if it is wet, as is currently being forecast.

For qualifying, plans to split the initial 20-minute session have been quashed, which means it will be a lottery for all concerned, while backmarkers in the race will also prove a problem.

"It could be a disaster," Hamilton said.

"I lapped (Virgin's Lucas) di Grassi four times yesterday. That's one of the biggest gaps I've had in Formula One."

Asked if the slower cars could screw up his plans this weekend, Hamilton replied: "I don't know about 'screw', but it's just very difficult when there is such a big difference.

"You catch them so quick, it's just unreal. When you see them you are wondering where they will move out of the way, and then they move into the wrong position.

"They'll go on the inside and be in the corner as you come up to them, so it gets quite tricky.

"So far, fortunately, there have been no incidents and it's been okay, but Monaco will be very tough."

Hamilton just avoided a crash into the back of Di Grassi on Sunday as he diced with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel after emerging back onto the track following his pit stop.

"I still had so much work to do," added Hamilton.

"The backmarker didn't do a very spectacular job. I don't know what the hell he was doing there.

"It wasn't very safe. I had to go left, Vettel was going right, and it looked worse than it was."

If Hamilton manages to escape any incidents around Monaco, he feels he has a car to again win Formula One's blue riband event.

"I feel I did a very good job considering we didn't have the fastest car," Hamilton said of yesterday's race.

"To be as consistent as I was, I didn't make any mistakes and I'm really very happy with my performance.

"Even though you didn't see me do any overtaking, I feel it was one of my best performances because I feel I improved, and I was really controlled.

"So I feel I've a great chance at Monaco this year. We've a strong car and I love the place.

"I've had quite good results there in the past, and I feel the car now is the best I've had during my time at the team.

"We should be competitive, and there's no reason why we shouldn't be challenging the Red Bulls there.

"Whether or not we'll see a gap of one second between us and them, who knows, but it's going to be very tricky again.

"A driver can have bit more of an impact on his overall time there.

"Hopefully the weather holds up for us, but if it rains, that will make it exciting."

Hamilton will at least be eager to avoid what unfolded last year when he put his car in the barrier in qualifying when he knew he had a shot at victory, despite the woeful nature of the McLaren at the time,

"I don't remember it," joked Hamilton.

He then added: "Somehow, even though I had a terrible car, I had a chance to be in the top four, and I was just unfortunate.

"I was always on the ragged edge, and being on the ragged edge there with a bad car is hard work.

"I locked up the rears and put it in the wall. These things happen."

:thum:

sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

HORNER: TEAMWORK KEY TO QUALIFYING

Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner feels flexibility will be the name of the game in Monaco qualifying this weekend.

Plans to split the initial 20-minute session around the streets of Monte-Carlo have been quashed, which means there may be all 24 cars on track at the same time struggling to get in a clean lap.

Many drivers have expressed concern about the chaos that could ensue given how slow Formula One newcomers Virgin, Lotus and Hispania Racing have proven to be.

It has been worked out if every car is on the two-mile track, which takes 75 seconds to lap, each one would be just three seconds apart.

Asked if Red Bull would be first out of the garage on Saturday at the start of qualifying to ensure track position, Horner joked: "I think we'll be camped down there on Friday night!"

Horner concedes the first qualifying period is "the most worrying aspect", and added: "It's about getting a lap that is sufficiently clear to post a time to get through.

"Unfortunately, in terms of statistics, there will be a car every 140 metres if they all run, and there's obviously a big difference in pace between the cars.

"The worst thing will be when you come round into Rascasse every lap and there is a queue of five cars.

"One way of looking at it is maybe you run for the full 20 minutes in the hope of getting a clear run.

"Or you pick your gap when the slower teams have pitted, so making sure you get in the one lap you need.

"Flexibility is going to be the key because theoretically the top teams only have to beat one other quick car to get through to Q2.

"But then if you look back 15 years ago we had around 26 cars for qualifying.

"So it's a matter of working with the pit crew, the engineers, to find a bit of track space and get one clear lap. That's all we need."

After Mark Webber's dominant display in Barcelona, Horner feels Red Bull are ready to prove they can now master Monaco, a track where six of their 10 cars in their five races at the venue have retired.

With the team's best result third with David Coulthard in 2006, Horner said: "It's a race we are determined to do well at.

"It's a circuit where we weren't particularly strong last year, but we feel we've improved the car in a lot of areas compared to last year, and we believe we can be very strong in Monaco."

:thum:

sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

BUTTON HOPES TO STAY IN RUNNING

Jenson Button will never forget the day he apologised to Prince Albert of Monaco after the greatest run of his life.

That was just under a year ago following one of the highlights of his motor-racing career when the Monaco resident scored his first triumph around the streets of the principality where he lives.

After conducting his victory lap, Button parked his Brawn GP in parc ferme, the customary holding area for cars after a race.

But in Monaco, the top three are meant to drive up to the finish line where the podium ceremony is conducted, leading to one of those priceless Formula One moments.

Taking up the story, Button said: "After winning last year, I actually parked in the wrong place and had to run about 300 metres down the start-finish straight to get to the podium.

"A little bit embarrassing, you could say, but also the best 300-metre run of my life because all the teams were hanging over the pit wall clapping me in.

"The grandstand erupted when I went past and it was just such an emotional moment, a moment I will never forget.

"One, because it's on YouTube; two, because it's going to stay in my mind forever, running up to Prince Albert of Monaco and saying, 'I'm sorry I parked in the wrong place'."

The win enabled Button to go on and become world champion, but at the time, it was all a surreal experience for the 30-year-old.

"As Prince Albert handed me the trophy and I lifted it above my head, it really dawned on me what I had achieved," added Button.

"To hammer a car around the Monaco circuit, in between those walls, the Armco barriers, it's like driving a go-kart around your living room.

"Every lap throughout the race gets more and more difficult because the barriers seem to get closer and closer. Mentally it is so, so draining.

"So the relief, and the feeling when I got onto the podium and I lifted that trophy above me was very special.

"There was so much cheering, but everything became so silent in my mind and in my head when I could see the mechanics, it was like I had pushed the mute button."

Asked if he had his running shoes this year, he replied: "Running shoes? Well, I sort of know where to go now."

With his own apartment a short walk away from Loews hairpin, and even though he knows the place like the back of his hand, Monaco will always be "a special race" for the McLaren driver.

"I think every driver will agree with me that it's the first race you would love to win in a Formula One car," added Button, who has a three-point lead going into the sixth round of the championship.

"Winning last year was one of the highlights of my season, and also of my entire racing career.

"It's a race you grow up watching, so you know the circuit, every corner, by heart before you've ever driven there.

"It's a race every young driver dreams of winning, and I love the place.

"Even though I've been racing there for many years, the sensation of speed you experience when you first drive a Formula One car out of the pits and up the hill is something you can never fully anticipate.

"The acceleration is incredible, and the walls are so, so close."

Whether back-to-back victories can be achieved is another matter, a feat no Briton has achieved since Graham Hill in 1968 and 1969.

"I think the result is extremely tough to call this year because there are a lot of very competitive drivers in the field," said Button.

"So I'd like to think there's a good chance of a slightly unpredictable race this weekend."

:thum:

sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

ALONSO HAPPY TO BE IN THE HUNT

Fernando Alonso is convinced he can fight for the Formula One world title after emerging through the chaos of the opening five races.

Good fortune shone on Alonso to the delight of his fans in his home grand prix in Barcelona.

A brake problem for Sebastian Vettel and suspected tyre rim failure for Lewis Hamilton unexpectedly elevated the Ferrari star from fourth to second in the closing laps.

It was Alonso's best result since his season-opening victory in Bahrain, after which he encountered numerous problems.

Remarkably, going into this Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix, Alonso is firmly back in the title hunt, trailing championship leader Jenson Button by just three points.

"The championship is long," said Alonso.

"There will be some circuits where we will be closer to Red Bull and some circuits like in Barcelona where we know it's going to be more difficult.

"But overall, for the remaining races, I think we have a package, a car that can fight for the world championship which is the main goal."

Alonso knows, though, consistency is critical and that he cannot afford to endure a rollercoaster ride for the remainder of the year.

"You need good results all the way through," added the 28-year-old.

"So far we have had two engine problems, one gearbox problem, one jumped start, some chaotic races, but we are only three points behind the leader, so we are happy.

"It's still very early in the championship, but better to be in the first three or four positions than eighth or ninth.

"But from now we need four or five podiums in a row. We cannot have one podium and then another three races with mistakes if we are to win the championship.

"But we understand that. We know the mistakes we have made at the beginning of the championship, which is why we arrived in Barcelona with a very good approach.

"We were a super Ferrari team over the weekend with no mistakes at all."

With Ferrari planning a solid period of upgrades over the next few weeks, Alonso is confident that will keep him in the hunt.

"There is a very aggressive plan of developing the car with some good gains and good improvements to come in the next races, so we are very optimistic on that," said Alonso.

:thum:

sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

NO SORRY WORD FROM SCHUMACHER

Michael Schumacher refused to turn back the clock and utter a simple five-letter word seemingly missing from his vocabulary.

It was in qualifying for the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix Schumacher committed one of his most infamous acts.

Duelling with Fernando Alonso for pole position, Schumacher made a ham-fisted attempt at staging an accident, stopping just short of a barrier.

Schumacher effectively parked his Ferrari at Rascasse, preventing the Spaniard, then with Renault, from taking the grid's top spot as he was following closely behind.

Although Schumacher denied at the time he was a cheat, the stewards saw otherwise and demoted the German to the back of the grid.

Returning to Monaco for the first time since that infamous weekend, the subject was naturally aired as Schumacher faced his inquisitors from the media.

Sitting just 200 metres away from Rascasse in Mercedes' brand new motorhome on view for the first time this season, Schumacher still steadfastly refused to say 'sorry' for his indiscretion.

Initially asked if he had any regrets, especially as the manoeuvre harmed his title chances at the time, Schumacher replied: "I guess it didn't."

That was reference to the fact he ultimately finished 13 points adrift of Alonso in the final standings.

Swerving the subject, he added: "It doesn't change things if we go back into it because we are here now in 2010."

After a question on a different subject, the following one returned to 2006, and again he was pressed if he had any regrets.

A further sidestep followed as he said: "I had great fun in the race, I have to say.

"Coming from last and going through the field, finishing fifth, that was good fun."

Refusing to let Schumacher off the hook, it was pointed out to him that day was one of the low points of his career.

"You made it," said Schumacher, referring to the media.

Laughing, he added: "Some of you guys. I mean let's look forward and not backwards."

To which a sharp interviewer responded: "Well let's look forward. If you had to get on pole here now, would you do again what you did in 2006?"

With a wink and a smile to his interrogator, Schumacher quipped: "You're boring!"

Appreciating the growing tension, the Mercedes PR then called for questions relating to the current year rather than 2006.

For a minute that was the case until one final attempt was made to extract a degree of regret from the 41-year-old as he was asked if there was any reason he was unable to say sorry.

With yet another swerve as deft as the one he pulled that day, he said: "I think you can keep trying, absolutely.

"But as I said before I am not in 2006 any more. I think there is enough said, and I don't feel I need to dig any deeper into it."

If proof were needed time does not appear to have mellowed the seven-times world champion and five-times winner of this famous race, then today was it.

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

McLAREN AIM TO BE DIAMOND PLEASERS

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will be the kings of bling around Monaco this weekend.

One of McLaren's key sponsors in diamond specialists Steinmetz have again joined forces with the Woking-based team ahead of Sunday's 78-lap showdown around the streets of the principality.

In previous years McLaren's drivers have had their initials inlaid into their helmets with diamonds, but Steinmetz have opted for a different approach on this occasion.

To celebrate their recent victories in Monaco, Hamilton will have the numbers '08' and Button '09' adorning their steering wheels with diamonds.

"They look absolutely incredible and add a real bit of bling to the cars," said Hamilton.

"I won in 2008 wearing a Steinmetz diamond-studded helmet, so I'm hoping it will bring me luck again this year."

As for Button, he said: "Monaco is one of the most prestigious and important races on the calendar, a race I feel honoured to have won.

"To be racing for McLaren with a diamond-crested steering wheel, created especially for me, is a great honour."

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

BRAWN EYEING MONACO REPEAT

Ross Brawn is hoping the unpredictability of Monaco will lead to another dream result on Sunday.

A year ago Brawn celebrated a momentous victory at a time when he was in charge of his own team, with Jenson Button leading the way around the streets of the principality.

It was one of the highlights of Brawn GP's double title-winning season, but a repeat for the man widely regarded as the most astute technical brain in the sport would appear to be a long shot.

Brawn is now in charge of Mercedes, but the German marque has failed to so far build on the momentum generated by the successes of last year.

Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher has struggled on his return to F1 after three years in retirement, although achieved his best result of the season on Sunday with fourth in Spain.

Nico Rosberg had finished on the podium in the previous two races, but around Barcelona, the new-spec car was far from his liking and he lagged far behind in a woeful 13th.

Brawn, though, would like to think anything is possible as he said: "The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most challenging race weekends of the year.

"But everyone revels in the special atmosphere, and as engineers we love the unique demands and extra pressure the street circuit generates.

"The drivers play their role at Monaco perhaps more so than at any other track.

"Precision, consistency, speed and control are essential, and with Michael and Nico, we are fortunate to have two drivers who excel here.

"Together with Mercedes-Benz, we achieved the dream result of a one-two finish last year.

"Whilst we are not at the pace of the frontrunners at the moment, at Monaco you just never know what can happen."

Despite an improvement in performance from Schumacher, the gap to Sunday's race-winning Red Bull driven by Mark Webber increased as the 41-year-old finished over a minute adrift.

Schumacher knows he and Mercedes will have to conjure up something special if he is to add to his five wins at the famous venue.

"We hope the characteristics of the street circuit suit our car better than in Spain last weekend," said Schumacher.

"On the other hand, we should be careful to expect too much this time as we have seen in Barcelona there is still a lot of work ahead of us.

"So, other than having achieved my best result so far this season, I have taken with me a lot of motivation to work even harder with our engineers to improve the car further."

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

BUTTON LOOKS TO HAUL IN RED BULLS

Jenson Button is hoping for a mixed-up, crazy weekend that will see Red Bull Racing stripped of their 'untouchables' tag.

In terms of pace in qualifying, no team has been able to live with Red Bull so far this season as they have been on pole in all five grands prix, locking out the front row three times.

In Barcelona on Saturday for the Spanish Grand Prix they destroyed their rivals as Mark Webber finished a second quicker than Button's McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who started third.

That shook up the rest of the grid, who at least have been buoyed by the fact Red Bull have not always followed up their qualifying form with race pace on Sunday.

Everybody is now hoping Monaco's unpredictability will throw up a different grid for the Sunday, and that Red Bull will not be so far in the ascendancy as they have been.

"If you look at every race this season the Red Bulls have qualified on pole, whatever the conditions and whatever the type of circuit," said reigning world champion Button.

"And if you look at their pace in qualifying in Barcelona, you would say they are pretty untouchable. I don't think we expected that after Friday (practice).

"But Monaco is a very different race. The cars work a different way here.

"They are going to be quick, but I am hoping the gap is not quite what it was in Barcelona, and I also think it will be a bit more mixed up here.

"Our race pace is better than our qualifying pace compared to them, as Lewis was able to show in Barcelona.

"It's only three or four tenths (of a second) in a race, compared to a second in qualifying, so it's not as horrendous as it looked in Barcelona on Saturday.

"There is a lot of work we still need to do to catch them. Monaco is going to be a tough weekend, but hopefully we can pull it out and have a good one."

Button is also expecting qualifying to culminate in angry scenes and a number of potential penalties should the slow-coach new boys wreak havoc.

With Lotus, Virgin and Hispania Racing likely to be over seven seconds per lap slower during the initial 20-minute session, problems will arise and sparks might fly.

"If it is wet it is going to be pretty crazy out there, especially with so many cars," added Button ahead of today's practice.

"It will be mad in the dry, but in the wet pretty impossible to get a clear lap

"It will be tricky in Q1, but I'm sure we'll cope. A few of us will be angry and unhappy at the end of Q1, but we all have to deal with the same situation.

"It's the same for all of us. Some of us will get lucky, some of us won't.

"But there are going to be

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

WEBBER: NO SPANISH REPEAT Monaco GP Race Winner.

Mark Webber has played down Red Bull's chances of repeating their Spanish GP domination around the streets of Monte Carlo this weekend.

Webber was by far the quickest driver at Barcelona last weekend, claiming pole position by almost a full second.

He followed that up with a pole to flag victory, taking the chequered flag 24 seconds ahead of runner-up Fernando Alonso.

The Aussie, though, has poured cold water over a repeat performance in Monaco, mainly because the layout of the principality's track is not conducive towards such big margins.

"It was an exceptional situation that we were on pole by one second," he said. "I think it would be unlikely to have that type of gap here, it's a short lap anyway and it doesn't take that long to get around here.

"The other thing is that traditionally the times in Monaco have always been pretty close.

"It's a different track layout, and this place is so unique, you don't design your Formula 1 car around Monte Carlo because there's only one track like it in the year.

"It's a very demanding venue for the car and the driver, but it requires lots of different things compared to other tracks.

"You only have to win by just enough, and hopefully we can still do it here. But whether we'll be as dominant remains to be seen. I think it's going to be a very, very competitive weekend with McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes."

But despite believing his rivals will hot on his heels in Monaco, the Aussie is adamant that Red Bull have a package that will be competitive.

"I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be competitive here," he said. "

We've shown at every single grand prix from Singapore last year that we've been pretty competitive at most venues, so I'm looking forward to seeing how we go this weekend."

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

ALONSO PIPS VETTEL IN MONACO Monaco GP Winning Margin.

Fernando Alonso shone in the sunshine as Formula One's travelling circus set up its stall for its blue riband event.

The Monaco Grand Prix is unique on the calendar as practice always takes place on a Thursday rather than Friday, and it was Ferrari star Alonso who took advantage of the unexpected conditions.

At the start of the week, heavy rain had been forecast, but instead the jewel in Formula One's crown glittered under blue skies.

Alonso, three points behind championship leader Jenson Button after his fortuitous second place in the Spanish Grand Prix four days ago, shaved a close opening 90-minute session at the principality.

The Spaniard led the way with a lap of one minute 15.927secs for the most famous street circuit in the world that only covers two miles.

Alonso pipped Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel by 0.073secs as the 22-year-old German stopped the clock on his best lap at exactly 76 seconds, with Renault's Robert Kubica in close attendance just a further 0.016secs adrift.

In a strong, and potentially ominous run for Red Bull, who have been on pole in all five grands prix this season, Barcelona race winner Mark Webber was fourth quickest with a lap of 1:16.382, nearly half a second down on Alonso.

Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa gave Ferrari one of their strongest practice showings for a while as the Brazilian was fifth, followed by Michael Schumacher on one of his favourite hunting grounds.

The five-times winner of this race was 0.662secs adrift of Alonso in sixth, with McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button seventh and eighth, split by 0.045secs.

Force India's Adrian Sutil and Sebastien Buemi in his Toro Rosso completed the top 10, the duo the only other drivers to finish within a second of Alonso.

Towards the bottom of the timesheet, Lotus' Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli in 20th and 21st sandwiched Virgin Racing's Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi who were 19th and 22nd, with the quartet covered by a second.

Thankfully they were not as far adrift as expected, although the majority of the leading runners appeared to be on heavier fuel runs, with Glock 3.6 seconds behind Alonso.

However, Hispania Racing's Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok were close to six seconds behind, and on such pace would be lapped after just 13 laps of Sunday's race.

The only incident involved Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi who hit a kerb coming out of the swimming pool complex, sending him bouncing into the air and sliding sideways into a barrier where he dislodged his front wing.

Times
01. Alonso Ferrari 1:15.927 31 laps
02. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:16.000 + 0.073 26 laps
03. Kubica Renault 1:16.016 + 0.089 28 laps
04. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:16.382 + 0.455 24 laps
05. Massa Ferrari 1:16.517 + 0.590 29 laps
06. Schumacher Mercedes 1:16.589 + 0.662 21 laps
07. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.647 + 0.720 32 laps
08. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.692 + 0.765 29 laps
09. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:16.805 + 0.878 23 laps
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:16.857 + 0.930 30 laps
11. Rosberg Mercedes 1:17.149 + 1.222 14 laps
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:17.331 + 1.404 28 laps
13. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:17.704 + 1.777 26 laps
14. Petrov Renault 1:17.718 + 1.791 38 laps
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:17.991 + 2.064 36 laps
16. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:18.397 + 2.470 39 laps
17. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.434 + 2.507 37 laps
18. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.547 + 2.620 32 laps
19. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:19.527 + 3.600 23 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:19.606 + 3.679 31 laps
21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:19.902 + 3.975 30 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:20.566 + 4.639 18 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:21.688 + 5.761 27 laps
24. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:21.853 + 5.926 6 laps

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

BUTTON EXPECTS QUALIFYING CHAOS

Jenson Button is expecting qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix to culminate in angry scenes and a number of potential penalties.

McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton this week warned the one-lap battle around the tight, twisty, two-mile Monte-Carlo circuit "could be a disaster".

The fear is that, with slow-coach newcomers Lotus, Virgin and Hispania Racing likely to be over seven seconds per lap slower during the initial 20-minute session when all 24 cars could be on track, problems will arise and sparks might fly.

"We've got to hammer it round. I don't think we can back off, we have to stay on it because that might be the quickest lap we do," remarked Button.

"It will be tricky in Q1, but I'm sure we'll cope. A few of us will be angry and unhappy at the end of Q1, but we all have to deal with the same situation.

"It's the same for all of us. Some of us will get lucky, some of us won't. You can't do much about it now. That's the way it is.

"But there are going to be a lot of people asking for penalties I think."

Jarno Trulli, a winner around Monaco in 2004, is now one of those likely to incur the wrath of the quicker guys.

Although in a car that can rightly be hailed as the best of the backmarkers, the Lotus driver is in agreement with Button.

"We're all going to have a lot of traffic," said the veteran Italian.

"It's a question of luck because maybe a quicker car slows down in front of me whilst I'm on a quick lap and I'm hindered.

"On the other hand maybe I'm on a quick lap, but not quick enough for a faster car which is probably four or five seconds (per lap) quicker than me.

"Neither way will work, but we will have to see what we can do to be free of traffic and do our job.

"Anything can happen in Monaco, and it is the place where you can have more chance.

"You can get one good lap by running round and round, and you get your lap in, but for us it's a bit more difficult to do that.

"But we are all in the same boat. I don't have a solution, and I don't care. I will go out and try to get some free space, get my lap in and that's it."

Bruno Senna already has experience of how Saturday will unfold from his days in GP2 when there were 26 cars on track, and like Hamilton he predicts it "will be a mess".

It may even be the case that Hamilton, Button et al, end up at the back of the grid as they are unable to get in a quick lap.

"With so many cars on track and with their difference in pace, I believe some people won't get a lap time," Hispania Racing's Senna told Press Association Sport.

"It happens in GP2, with some of the quick cars at the back because they were held up, or there was a queue in Rascasse to start a lap.

"It's going to be quite interesting. We have to make sure we are on the track as much as we can to get a lap in that counts.

"But it's going to be a big mess, and if it's wet it will make it even harder."

As for the race, Senna is already anticipating spending more time looking in his mirrors than at the road ahead.

One backmarker in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix managed only 15 laps out of 66 without being shown a blue flag telling him to allow a quicker car by.

"With that many laps, it's going to be quite interesting to see how many times I will be lapped," added the nephew of Ayrton, the three -times champion who holds the record for most wins at this track with six.

"Monaco is very peculiar. It is unusual to have a straightforward race where you're not stuck behind another car or you don't make a mistake.

"The field is going to be spread big time and the traffic quite hard to manage for everybody."

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

MASSA SEEKING SOLUTIONS

Felipe Massa has vowed to resolve the issues that have seen him fall by the wayside over the last three grands prix.

Massa led the drivers' standings following the first two races after finishing second in the season-opener in Bahrain and third in the second race in Australia.

But in Malaysia, China and Spain, the Brazilian has collected just 16 points to slip to seventh in the championship, 21 points behind leader and defending world champion Jenson Button.

Massa admits he has had problems of late with his Ferrari, and is hoping to finally get to the bottom of them, sooner rather than later as he aims for a vast improvement around Monaco this weekend.

"Throughout the winter tests I was 110% happy with the car," said Massa.

"At the first race the car was great, and everything was working perfectly just as I wanted.

"But the biggest issue I've had in the last few races has been the grip level with the tyres and I've struggled to get used to the car.

"There are some issues I've had this year, but I'm working very hard and I'm going to solve the problem.

"We know it's an issue that has cost me a few points in the last races, but it's something that I know I'm going to solve."

Last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix underlined the trouble Massa has run into of late, despite finishing sixth after starting from ninth on the grid.

"Last weekend was not great for me, especially in qualifying," said Massa.

"I struggled a lot to find a good grip level, and in the race it was difficult to overtake, almost impossible.

"I ran most of the race behind people and I just had no grip to try anything. It was not a very nice race.

"I just hope we can do a better job this weekend. We will see how it is going to be."

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

HAMILTON GUARDS REPUTATION AS WINNER

Lewis Hamilton has no intention of ending his Formula One career with stains on his character like Michael Schumacher.

Schumacher's brilliant, but tainted time in Formula One was again the subject of debate after his failure to apologise for one of his most outrageous indiscretions in Monaco four years ago.

The 41-year-old was offered ample opportunity to say sorry for feigning an accident and parking his Ferrari at Rascasse to block then bitter rival Fernando Alonso from grabbing pole position.

Throw in the championship deciders in 1994 and 1997 when he tried to take out Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, and Schumacher is as much remembered for such infamy as for his seven world titles.

Hamilton still has a long way to go to match Schumacher's more illustrious feats as the Briton has one world title and 12 race wins to his name.

Hamilton may also have been embroiled in 'lie-gate' at the start of last year, although he maintains he was acting on team orders, not of his own volition as was the case with Schumacher.

So one thing is clear, the 25-year-old is determined to keep it clean and play by the rules.

"When I leave F1 I want to be remembered as one of the best drivers of all time," Hamilton said.

"My first thought was I am not really bothered if I am remembered or not, but then clearly I am going to be remembered.

"I am part of the sport, part of its history, a world champion, so I would like to be remembered in the best way and the best light.

"I want to be remembered as a fair driver, a clean driver, one who always drove with his heart, who battled through thick and thin to score the points and the championships I will hopefully earn."

Asked about Schumacher's occasional unscrupulous acts and whether he is intent on ensuring his character is not similarly blighted, Hamilton replied: "Absolutely.

"When I think about history, it is not just about me, it is about how my family raised me, where we came from.

"For that to be potentially tainted by something like that would really devastate me. That is something I don't want to be known for."

That Monaco weekend, Hamilton was in GP2, winning the feature race en route to claiming the rookie title for the series that year.

If he has an opinion on what Schumacher did, he is keeping it to himself as he said: "I don't really have a view on it.

"Everyone has their opinion, and the right to their opinion, but for me I just focus on my own job. It doesn't have any impact on me.

"Whether I think it was right or wrong, I wasn't in the car with him and I can't blame someone for something, so I honestly don't know."

At one of Schumacher's favourite tracks where he won five times, you would think Hamilton would be relishing the prospect of taking on the legend around the streets of the principality.

Monte Carlo is a venue Hamilton adores, but it would appear the novelty of going head to head with Schumacher has lost its appeal.

"It doesn't do anything for me whatsoever," added Hamilton, who was seventh quickest at the end of the two practice sessions, finishing 0.345secs adrift of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

"Of course, he is a world champion and you want to be up against world champions.

"It is always a privilege to be on the same track as him, as it is having him in the sport.

"Now for me it would be special if I was on the track with Ayrton (Senna), but everyone has their own points of view.

"But even if I was to finish ahead of Michael this weekend compared to the last time I won here (in 2008) it has no bearing.

"The grand prix I won here would be my best time."

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

BOOTH UNABLE TO APPRECIATE MONACO

Virgin Racing team principal John Booth has revealed he has barely had time to catch his breath since pitching up in Monaco.

The principality's glamorous surroundings are a far cry from Booth's humble beginnings working in a butcher's shop run by his father in Rotherham.

But Booth and his team are now becoming an established part of the Formula One fraternity, although teething problems still abound.

Following the Spanish Grand Prix four days ago, for instance, they were the last team to erect their motorhome in the cramped confines of the Monte-Carlo paddock on Thursday alongside the harbour.

It has been a testing time for Booth and Virgin since they stepped into F1, in particular the last few days, leaving him with little time to appreciate his surroundings.

"When I stop working so hard, I'll be able to catch my breath then and look around," said Booth.

"But at the moment it's just a challenge we are facing, and we're working very hard on that, but it's still great to be here.

"The atmosphere is fantastic, but the challenges are just the same."

Booth at least had cause to smile after watching drivers Lucas di Grassi and Timo Glock set reasonable times at the end of today's two 90-minute practice sessions.

It was expected the duo, along with the other new teams in Lotus and Hispania Racing, would be six to seven seconds off the pace.

That was only the case for Hispania as Di Grassi and Glock were 3.5secs and 3.8secs behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Following on from Barcelona when Virgin managed to bring two cars home for the first time this season, Booth is hoping things are on the up.

"Barcelona was massively important for us," added Booth.

"But in terms of seeing two cars over the line, we should have had those from race one.

"It took us five races to get there, far too long, but I'm very happy we have achieved it.

"Now we need to continue the reliability here and then look at the next race in Turkey to start improving performance.

"At the moment ninety-nine per cent of our effort is on reliability but hopefully from this race we can start adding performance to it."

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

TRULLI HOPES TO FOCUS ON ROAD AHEAD

Jarno Trulli is hoping to avoid a repeat of his first Monaco Grand Prix 13 years ago when he spent so much time looking in his mirrors he ended up in a barrier.

Trulli was competing in only the fourth race of his Formula One career with perennial backmarkers Minardi in 1997, and it was one to forget for the Italian.

After just seven laps Trulli spun off, and there are now fears this Sunday's grand prix - his 14th around the streets of Monte-Carlo - will culminate in something similar with Lotus.

Trulli is fully expecting to keep as much of an eye on the road as he will on the marshals waving blue flags urging him to pull over and let by the field's quicker cars.

"Because I was being given blue flags to let everybody past, and because of my inexperience, I ended up in the wall," said Trulli.

"I hope that's something I'm not going to do again this year with my greater experience.

"But on the other hand, since I've been racing this year, I would say I spend more than half the race looking out for blue flags.

"It's not fun as it requires a lot of concentration.

"But because the speed difference is quite a lot between ourselves and the quicker cars, you are going to hit blue flags nearly every lap from before halfway to the end.

"So it's not going to be easy for me, nor will it be easy for the guys who have to lap us. I hope they understand that.

"But I will personally do my best during the race to let them by."

At least Trulli and Lotus team-mate Heikki Kovalainen suggested the Norfolk-based marque might have a respectable weekend.

The duo finished 3.2secs and 3.7secs respectively behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso at the end of Thursday's two 90-minute practice sessions.

Trulli, though, was hampered by an engine issue in the second session that allowed him to complete just 13 laps, which resulted in a feeling of "frustration."

"In losing time in the garage I didn't really get the chance to push as I'd have liked on track," added Trulli.

"The times were coming down, but unfortunately in Monaco every single minute you lose being on track is going to cost you a little bit throughout the weekend.

"Obviously I'm experienced, so on the driver's side it won't affect me, but with the car we still need to find the right set-up and the right balance."

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

BUTTON BUSIER WITH McLAREN

Jenson Button admits he still needs to get out more a year on from providing a colourful self-assessment.

Ahead of last season's Monaco Grand Prix, following a phenomenal start to the year in which he had won four out of the first five races and was chasing down the title, for the first time in his career Button was eating, sleeping and drinking Formula One.

In immersing himself in the sport in a determined bid to become champion, Button described himself as "a right boring b*****d", a remark that naturally made headlines.

The 30-year-old concedes that now he has a title to his name it has eased the stresses and strains, but in truth little has changed and he is still how he characterised himself.

"I'm a lot more relaxed now than I was last year, definitely so, but I still think about Formula One maybe too much," Button said.

"Sometimes you need a break, to get away from it and have another hobby, which I have - triathlons, but I haven't done any since August last year.

"So most of the time I'm still thinking about Formula One, which is sometimes a good thing, sometimes it isn't.

"That's because you do need to get away to ensure you are far more fresh when you return.

"So I would say I am pretty similar to last year, just a bit more relaxed."

Becoming champion and switching to McLaren from Brawn GP has also played a key role in Button failing to escape as much as he would like.

McLaren are, and have always been, sponsor orientated, placing high demands on their drivers to ensure those who pay into the team are rewarded.

It has had an effect as Button's fitness regime has tailed off, although not to a degree where it has damaged his racing.

"I'm definitely busier here," added Button.

"The thing is, when you get a day off, sometimes you need to rest from everything.

"But I want to get out there and train to make sure it doesn't drop off.

"There has to be a balance to everything, and I've probably not trained as much as I would like.

"But I'm definitely training enough for racing, and that's the most important thing to me. That's number one.

"It's a busy schedule with McLaren, but we make sure it's balanced, that it's not too overpowering and we're not tired when we get to the circuit."

To underline the demands on his time, Monaco-resident Button only trained near his home for the first time this week, otherwise it was on the hoof at wherever he happened to be.

"Monday and Tuesday of next week I'm free as well, so I'm going to go out training up in the hills," said Button, who is from Frome in Somerset.

"It's not that I'm struggling because I'm way fit enough to drive an F1 car, but it would be nice if I could train a bit more.

"The most important thing, as I said, is that it's Formula One, and I need something else to enjoy, which I do, and that's triathlons.

"I have to appreciate it's always busier at the start of the year than during the year because you have a lot of sponsors that want to start their campaigns, whether it's pictures, photos or film.

"It's starting to get quieter now."

That will particularly be the case after this weekend, one in which Button will be hoping to emulate his feat of last season when he scored the greatest victory of his career.

Practice on Thursday, though, was a difficult examination for Button as he only managed the ninth best time, seven tenths of a second behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

With Monaco quiet on Friday ahead of qualifying on Saturday, Button remains upbeat, adding: "I'm reasonably happy, although we don't know where we stand.

"But the Ferrari looks very quick, and I'm sure Red Bull are hiding their pace, so it's the normal people at the front and hopefully we'll be there tomorrow morning.

"Qualifying we have to keep our heads on, stay relaxed and try best to get through it.

"Getting angry in the session, which I'm sure some people will do, is not the right thing."

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sky star 2 · May 14, 2010

LEWIS HOPES FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL

Lewis Hamilton believes a repeat of his 2008 victory around Monaco would hopefully be the start of "something very special" this year.

Hamilton is still searching for his first win this season, and his first in nine races with his last coming in Singapore in September.

The 25-year-old is convinced with the McLaren he has beneath him, an elusive triumph to boost his championship chances is just over the horizon.

"Although we weren't at the top of the times the car felt good," said Hamilton after finishing seventh quickest in practice at the end of yesterday's two 90-minute sessions.

"I love being here, and on this track the car feels light years ahead of last year's car.

"We've made some good steps forward with the set up, and although everyone is quite competitive, I think we should be okay.

"We'll still have to do our homework, hopefully do a good job and fight for the top three.

"Although this is the best place to win, I'm not going to get my hopes up because we know how competitive everyone is.

"We've just got to hope, keep our fingers cross and do the best job we can.

"But a win here would be the beginning of hopefully something very special, although I won't apply pressure on myself and say it will come this weekend.

"My performances have been pretty good this year, so I just have to build on that, and eventually it has to hit a peak with a win."

Hamilton concedes, though, there is a spring in his step now he is back at his favourite venue, and as he looks to put Sunday's abject disappointment behind him.

Being in Monaco has lifted Hamilton's spirits after a wheel-rim failure saw him crash out of the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on the penultimate lap.

"There's a certain buzz, a certain feeling when you're in the car here," added Hamilton, who trails team-mate Jenson Button by 21 points in the drivers' standings.

"When you have a good car here it just feels phenomenal to drive, and you can really do something with it.

"Every time you do something new, finding half a metre here or there, getting an inch closer to a barrier here or there.

"Things just seem to happen so much faster than normal, twice the speed, three times the speed of a normal circuit.

"The barriers are flying by, the road is bumpy, and you are always on the edge and you're thinking 'If I leave it a little bit too late I'm going to be in a barrier'.

"It's just the most incredible feeling."

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