Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso topped the time sheets in Monte Carlo yesterday, ahead of Sunday’s ‘jewel in the crown’ Monaco Grand Prix.
The 2008 and 2005/2006 champions showed their class around the streets of the prestigious principality; Hamilton quickest in the morning despite oversleeping and arriving late to his garage, by boat, still in his jeans.
Mercedes’ Hamilton, who was pipped by Alonso of Ferrari in the rain affected afternoon session, told media subsequently:
“The car is still a work in progress but it felt really good out there today.”
“I just love racing here; this track is one of the coolest ever, and it was great to see all of the fans here already enjoying themselves. It’s such a classic race, and I’ve been trying to win here again since 2008, so I’m hoping this is the year as we have such a great car.”
Elsewhere, Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo continued to impress; the Red Bull new recruit flirting with the close proximity Circuit de Monaco barriers on a few occasions, finishing third (Practice One) and ninth (Practice Two); Practice Two ultimately producing limited running due to the unrepresentative conditions.
Alonso of Ferrari is on a mission to reel in MercedesBy Morio (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel (third), Toro Rosso’s Jean-Éric Vergne (fourth), Williams’ Valtteri Bottas (fifth), Force India’s Sergio Pérez (sixth), Force India’s Nico Hülkenberg (seventh), McLaren’s Jenson Button (eighth) and McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen (10th) rounded out the Practice Two top 10; Vergne and Bottas once again demonstrating their wet weather prowess on a tricky intermediate track.