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On a fine and
dry but cool day the opening Thursday practice for the 2010 Monaco Grand
Prix would commence. For the AT&T Williams team would be making significant
changes to cope with the demands of the tight Monaco track. The drivers
would also have to cope with higher kerbs at the chicane after the tunnel as
well as parts of the track that had been resurfaced. Both drivers would be
hoping for a better performance than they had in Spain. As for new parts for
the Williams drivers the opening Thursday session would see a new rear wing
assembly for Rubens Barrichello while Nico Hulkenberg has the new front wing
first seen in Spain. The second Thursday session would see Nico running the
new rear wing and Rubens the front wing.
 There would be a rush of drivers coming out of the pits including Nico. Just
as quickly they would pit after their installation laps. Rubens would be one
of the last drivers to take to the track. He would be joined by both of the
McLaren's. The track would soon empty as everyone returned to their pits.
With ten minutes of the ninety minute session complete no one had set a
time. As for their tyres Bridgestone would be supplying the medium and soft
compounds. First back out was Alguersuari. He would set a time of 1m:30.020
on his first
timed lap. With twenty minutes of the session run there was only the Torro
Rosso out on the track. Alguersuari would improve with a 1m:26.141.
Next to come out was Petrov in his Renault. Alguersuari lowered his time
with a 1m:23.370, and overall improvement of seven seconds. A 1m:21.675 from
Alguersuari as Nico took to the track joined by Button. A 1m:29.559 from
Petrov while Alguersuari had lowered his time with a 1m:21.225. Other
drivers were coming out including De la Rosa, Trulli, and Kobayashi. A
1m:25.601 from Petrov as Buemi took to the track. Senna was
also out on the traffic. It would be interesting to see how traffic comes
into play. Nico sets a 1m:27.112 while Button was now second with a
1m:23.667. Nico was now fifth while De la Rosa was up to fourth. The second
Lotus of Kovalainen was out on the track as Button went fastest with a
1m:20.564. Alguersuari was second from Nico, 1m:24.447. Petrov would improve
to be third see Nico fourth. It was all changing as Buemi was now third from
Petrov, De la Rosa, and Nico.
Kobayashi was now third, 1m:22.354, followed by Buemi and Trulli. Nico had
dropped to eighth. Alonso and Hamilton were now out on the track.
Alguersuari was again fastest with a 1m:20.190 but Button would improve to
be again fastest with a 1m:18.468. Massa was now third, 1m:20.471. Nico had
improved with a 1m:21.405 to be sixth. Alguersuari would pit as Buemi went
second, 1m:19.895. Rubens was still in his pit with just under sixty minutes
remaining in the session. Button was on an improved lap setting a 1m:17.618
to be 1.3 seconds ahead of Massa, who had moved into second. Hamilton would
move up to third, 1m:18.816, from Buemi, Petrov, Kobayashi, Alguersuari,
Schumacher, Nico, and De la Rosa in tenth.
Kubica was now up to fifth, 1m:19.576, as Button pitted. Nico would improve
to sixth with a 1m:19.601. Schumacher was now tenth and Rosberg eleventh.
Kubica was now fourth from Alonso and Hamilton. Rosberg would put in an
improved time with a 1m:18.403 to be third but this would be come fourth
when Hamilton went fastest, 1m:17.423. Button was now second from Massa,
Kubica, Rosberg, Buemi, Schumacher, and Alonso. Massa was now second,
1m:17.471. Rubens would finally come out of his pit as Schumacher moved up
to fourth, 1m:17.941. Alonso was now third, 1m:17.482, but Kubica would move
ahead with a 1m:17.425. Hamilton would improve with a 1m:16.693 from Massa
with a 1m:16.997. Nico was now eleventh and back in his pit with fifty
minutes remaining. Rubens was now in sixteenth, 1m:22.923, while Massa moved
to the top of the times with a 1m:16.746. Hamilton had pitted while Rubens
would improve to now be twelfth, 1m:19.640.
Buemi was now third, 1m:17.289, from Kubica and Alonso. But Rosberg would
move ahead of the Torro Rosso taking third with a 1m:17.149. Kubica would
also improve to again be third with a 1m:17.106. Rubens was on an improved
lap setting a 1m:18.255 to now be ninth. He was 1.5 seconds behind the
quickest time of Massa. Schumacher was sixth with a 1m:17.393. Alonso was
now fifth with a 1m:17.235. The track had emptied as
drivers returned to their pits to assess their setups. Nico was back out on
the track as Alonso pitted. Alonso came close to hitting the barrier as he
came onto the main straight. Rubens was still in ninth with a 1m:18.057
having picked up a few tenths. Nico was now in twelfth with a 1m:19.514.
Both Red Bull cars had yet to set a time with forty three minutes left in
the session. Webber was out on the track for his first run. Sutil would move
up to eleventh, 1m:19.146, followed by Petrov and Nico. Hamilton was back
out as Vettel also
took to the track.
Button was back out while Rubens had pitted, still in ninth. Nico would
improve with a 1m:18.723 to be twelfth. Sutil was now eighth with a
1m:17.499. Rubens had dropped to tenth followed by Petrov, Kobayashi, and
Nico. Alguersuari was now fourteenth, 1m:18.850, while Button improved to
now be second, 1m:16.870, from his team-mate Hamilton. Nico again found a
few tenths with a 1m:18.576 but remained thirteenth. Sutil was showing some
pace moving into fourth with a 1m:17.086 while more drivers took to the
track. Alguersuari was now tenth with a 1m:17.991. Chandhok would spin going
up into the Casino square. He lost the rear end with his rear wing just
hitting the barrier. The track was now very busy with just six cars in the
pit lane. Rubens was back out currently in eleventh and Nico still
thirteenth. Hamilton was fastest with a 1m:16.710 from Massa, Button, Sutil,
Kubica, Rosberg, Alonso, Buemi, Schumacher, Alguersuari, Rubens, Webber, and
Nico.
Chandhok's car was craned away while team-mate Senna was slowest with a
1m:23.046. Vettel was up to tenth with a time of 1m:17.574. Hamilton had
gone even faster with a 1m:16.647 while second placed Massa's time was a
1m:16.746. Button was now second but this would become third as Massa went
fastest with a 1m:16.517. Hamilton would pit while Vettel was now fourth,
1m:16.951. Rubens was eleventh with a 1m:17.661. Alonso was back out and
would improve to be fourth, 1m:16.859. Webber had pitted currently
fourteenth. Alonso was now fastest, 1m:16.325 while Kubica had improved to
be second, 1m:16.447. Vettel was now third, 1m:16.458, seeing Massa drop to
fourth. Hamilton and Button were fifth and sixth. Rubens was now up to tenth
with a 1m:17.331 while Nico had dropped to fifteenth. Vettel had pitted.
Twenty five minutes remaining Schumacher was able to move his car up to
fifth with a 1m:16.625. Alonso was on an improved lap setting a time of
1m:16.151 to remain fastest. Rubens would pit while Buemi would take his
tenth place with a time of 1m:17.289. Rubens time was a 1m:17.331 while
Nico's was a 1m:18.397. Nico was 2.2 seconds off the quickest time. Buemi
would improve with a 1m:16.857 to now be eighth. Tenth placed Rosberg had
only completed nine laps as his car was worked on. Under twenty minutes
remaining and Alonso was still fastest from Kubica, Vettel, Massa,
Schumacher, Hamilton, Button, Buemi, Sutil, Rosberg, Rubens, Petrov,
Alguersuari, Webber, and Nico in fifteenth. The track was fairly quite as
Hamilton came back out joined by Webber, Nico, and both Sauber's. Vettel was
next back out with fourteen minutes left in the session. Webber
was on a better lap but would only move up one place to thirteenth.
Button and Buemi were back out joined by several other drivers including
Rubens and Nico. It was starting to get busy again as Webber moved up to
twelfth, 1m:17.349. They were still working on Rosberg's car. Alonso was
back out with ten minutes left. He was joined by Massa and Kubica. There
were only five cars still in the pits including both Mercedes cars. Liuzzi
would move up to fifteenth seeing Nico drop to sixteenth. Webber would put
in a very quick lap to see him jump up to second with a 1m:16.382. Five
minutes left and Alonso was still fastest from Webber, Kubica, Vettel,
Massa, Schumacher, Hamilton, Button, Buemi, Sutil, Rosberg, and Rubens in
twelfth. Nico was now in sixteenth, 1m:18.397. Rosberg was finally back out
on the circuit. Vettel was now second, 1m:16.000, from Webber and Kubica.
Kubica would improve to move into third with a time of 1m:16.016.
As the final two minutes counted down Kobayashi would lose his front wing as
well as damaging his right front and left rear wheels. He ran wide going
through the swimming pool complex hitting the outside barrier doing the
damage. The session would end with Rubens and Nico still in twelfth and
sixteenth. Alonso was still fastest from Vettel, Kubica, Webber, Massa,
Schumacher, Hamilton, Button, Sutil, Buemi, Rosberg, and Rubens
in twelfth. Not the most of encouraging of starts to the weekend. Both
Williams drivers were off the pace but it is early days in terms of setup
making any real judgement as to their pace a bit premature. |
