Alonso continues ascendancy
World champion Fernando Alonso got the better of Michael Schumacher in final practice for the Monaco Grand Prix today.
Renault driver Alonso leads the championship by 15 points from Schumacher and again held the advantage this morning, setting the fastest lap of the weekend so far.
His effort of one minute 13.823 seconds beat Ferrari ace Schumacher by 0.208secs, with the other Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella a whisker behind in third.
Michelin may have edged out rivals Bridgestone in this morning’s session but that was unlikely to offer much cheer following the death of company chairman Edouard Michelin yesterday.
The Frenchman, 42, drowned while fishing in Brittany and Michelin mechanics wore black armbands as a mark of respect, while the Automobile Club de Monaco flew flags at half mast.
Scotsman David Coulthard, a two-time winner in Monaco, was the surprise of the session and guided his Red Bull car to fourth spot, belying the tam’s measly two points haul this season.
Rookie Nico Rosberg, who grew up in Monaco, put his local knowledge to good use to claim fifth while Mark Webber’s seventh gave Williams more encouragement.
The Williams pair sandwiched Juan Pablo Montoya, who was the fastest McLaren in practice for a race which marks the 40th anniversary of the team. His team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was down in 10th.
Englishman Jenson Button was ninth for Honda, just over a second slower than Alonso’s benchmark.
1 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:13.823
2 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:14.031
3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:14.056
4 David Coulthard RBR-Ferrari 1:14.550
5 Nico Rosberg Williams-Cosworth 1:14.623
6 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:14.785
7 Mark Webber Williams-Cosworth 1:14.804
8 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:14.842
9 Jenson Button Honda 1:15.020
10 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.124
11 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:15.283
12 Christian Klien RBR-Ferrari 1:15.476
13 Nick Heidfeld Sauber-BMW 1:15.591
14 Tiago Monteiro MF1-Toyota 1:15.809
15 Christijan Albers MF1-Toyota 1:16.066
16 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Cosworth 1:16.147
17 Scott Speed STR-Cosworth 1:16.201
18 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-BMW 1:16.285
19 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:16.456
20 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:17.148
21Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:17.860
22 Franck Montagny Super Aguri-Honda 1:17.934
