2014 Monaco Grand Prix Thursday - Practice
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We'll leave you for the evening with some intriguing reading in EDD STRAW and GARY ANDERSON's form guide...
Can Ricciardo beat the Mercedes to pole?
...and some incendiary reading, as Lewis Hamilton comments on team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg's upbringing:
Hamilton: Rosberg lacks my hunger
We'll be back for full Live coverage of final practice and qualifying from 9.30am UK time on Saturday.
Can Ricciardo beat the Mercedes to pole?
...and some incendiary reading, as Lewis Hamilton comments on team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg's upbringing:
Hamilton: Rosberg lacks my hunger
We'll be back for full Live coverage of final practice and qualifying from 9.30am UK time on Saturday.
Mercedes' Paddy Lowe admits there is still work to be done due to the time lost as a result of the poor conditions in second practice today.
"We weren't able to do all our homework on tyre wear and long-run performance but we were at least able to do a run on the option tyre, to give the drivers a feel for the car in what will be the tyre of choice in qualifying."
"We weren't able to do all our homework on tyre wear and long-run performance but we were at least able to do a run on the option tyre, to give the drivers a feel for the car in what will be the tyre of choice in qualifying."
Jenson Button admits it is impossible to know where McLaren stands after today. He finished eighth in second practice.
"The feeling in the car is quite nice but it's impossible to say how quick we are, I really don't know.
"There's still more progress to be made with the car and I know the guys are all working flat out back at the MTC and it [would] be nice to give them a reasonable result some we can progress from here and keep developing."
Team-mate Kevin Magnussen, 10th fastest in the afternoon, had similar thoughts.
"We haven't done anything yet, it's only practice. We just had a look at the track, the set-up and the balance of the car, so we'll have to wait and see."
"The feeling in the car is quite nice but it's impossible to say how quick we are, I really don't know.
"There's still more progress to be made with the car and I know the guys are all working flat out back at the MTC and it [would] be nice to give them a reasonable result some we can progress from here and keep developing."
Team-mate Kevin Magnussen, 10th fastest in the afternoon, had similar thoughts.
"We haven't done anything yet, it's only practice. We just had a look at the track, the set-up and the balance of the car, so we'll have to wait and see."
BEN ANDERSON has been getting drivers' thoughts on the lack of track action during the wet part of practice two, and hearing of their sympathy for the fans. Story to come shortly.
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Jean-Eric Vergne popped up in fourth place in second practice amid the sprint for times on the drying track. He's not expected row two on Saturday, but he's still pretty perky.
"I like this track and even if I don't think I'll be P4 in qualifying, I'm still happy with what we achieved today. This has been a proper way to build up confidence and it gives us an additional boost to fight for Q3 and points."
His Toro Rosso team-mate Daniil Kvyat was in learning mode today, as the only one of the 2014 rookies who hadn't raced here at all in his junior career.
"I like this track and even if I don't think I'll be P4 in qualifying, I'm still happy with what we achieved today. This has been a proper way to build up confidence and it gives us an additional boost to fight for Q3 and points."
His Toro Rosso team-mate Daniil Kvyat was in learning mode today, as the only one of the 2014 rookies who hadn't raced here at all in his junior career.
Crash
Adrian Sutil crash
We didn't have many shunts in practice today, but Adrian Sutil provided one in the morning. He's held his hands up over it.
"I had a snap oversteer in Turn 5 [Mirabeau], so I touched the barrier.
"The tyres were not up to temperature and it was difficult to keep the car under control.
"However, it was my mistake.”
GP2 - Monaco: Caterham's Haryanto just shaded Stephane Richelmi in Group B to take the even-side of the Monaco starting grid. Stoffel Vandoorne was third fastest (so will start sixth), ahead of Stefano Coletti and Julian Leal.
GP2 - Monaco: Rio Haryanto tops Group B qualifying, but he is almost a second away from Palmer's Group A time, so Palmer will start Friday's feature race from pole position.
JONATHAN NOBLE is now at Lotus, where the drivers say the team's main problem today was that temperatures were too low to get the tyres working properly on their car.
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In more informative moments from the Mercedes gathering, Hamilton said the morning was good enough that the loss of so much afternoon track time hadn't been a problem.
"If we'd missed out both sessions then maybe [it would've hurt], but to get one session in the beginning was a huge plus because I got a lot of running," he said.
"I feel pretty set for Saturday."
"If we'd missed out both sessions then maybe [it would've hurt], but to get one session in the beginning was a huge plus because I got a lot of running," he said.
"I feel pretty set for Saturday."
GP2 - Monaco: Palmer set two laps good enough for the fastest time in that session. Cecotto blamed Abt for holding him up at the Nouvelle Chicane, but Abt was having his own issues with another tardy driver in front.
Series frontrunner Felipe Nasr, who shunted in practice, was only eighth in that session, so he'll be starting from row eight.
Series frontrunner Felipe Nasr, who shunted in practice, was only eighth in that session, so he'll be starting from row eight.
GP2 - Monaco: Jolyon Palmer makes his bid for feature race pole position, topping his qualifying group by almost half a second in his DAMS entry. Mitch Evans was second in Group A after a last-ditch flyer, ahead of Johnny Cecotto Jr and Daniel Abt.
Group B, for even-numbered cars, will now get their chance. The fastest session will set the odd-numbered side of the grid, with the quickest man starting from pole.
Group B, for even-numbered cars, will now get their chance. The fastest session will set the odd-numbered side of the grid, with the quickest man starting from pole.
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Hamilton's alarm clock related misdemeanour provided almost as much domestic insight excitement as Nico Rosberg's answer to the question "what will you do on the day off tomorrow?"
Reply: "I've got lots of friends and family here. I'll play some backgammon. Work on the car."
Reply: "I've got lots of friends and family here. I'll play some backgammon. Work on the car."
Daniel Ricciardo is upbeat about Red Bull's chances of fighting for victory this weekend:
Ricciardo thinks Red Bull can challenge Mercedes for win
Ricciardo thinks Red Bull can challenge Mercedes for win
There was a flurry of early excitement this morning at the prospect of Lewis Hamilton missing the start of opening practice.
Television crews picked up a Mercedes man in a boat fetching Hamilton as the green light was about to come on to begin practice one, and then the unusual sight of the championship leader sprinting through the paddock on foot and in his civvies.
That was naturally a hot topic when BEN ANDERSON joined the press scrum around Hamilton post-practice. The answer was a pretty simple one: "I overslept".
Television crews picked up a Mercedes man in a boat fetching Hamilton as the green light was about to come on to begin practice one, and then the unusual sight of the championship leader sprinting through the paddock on foot and in his civvies.
That was naturally a hot topic when BEN ANDERSON joined the press scrum around Hamilton post-practice. The answer was a pretty simple one: "I overslept".
Caterham is another team pleased with its day's work.
Both Marcus Ericsson and Kamui Kobayashi reported that initial handling problems improved with some mid-session set-up changes in the morning, and they got through the day without any technical dramas.
Kobayashi gave Caterham 'backmarker class honours' at the end of the day as well, beating Marussia man Bianchi by 0.013s in practice two.
Both Marcus Ericsson and Kamui Kobayashi reported that initial handling problems improved with some mid-session set-up changes in the morning, and they got through the day without any technical dramas.
Kobayashi gave Caterham 'backmarker class honours' at the end of the day as well, beating Marussia man Bianchi by 0.013s in practice two.
JONATHAN NOBLE has returned from Red Bull, where Daniel Ricciardo in particular is very bullish about the car's pace here. Full story soon.
Breaking news
Here's EDD STRAW's full report from that wet/dry second practice session:
Monaco GP practice two full report and results
Our reporters are now in the paddock getting reaction from drivers and teams.
Monaco GP practice two full report and results
Our reporters are now in the paddock getting reaction from drivers and teams.
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BEN ANDERSON just overheard this "ironic megaphone cry" from the grandstand by the pits: "if we'd waited for it to stop raining in Malaysia, we'd have been here all week".
Monaco isn't the only major motorsport event this weekend - there's also the Indianapolis 500 to look forward to on Sunday.
AUTOSPORT's man in the US MARK GLENDENNING has summarised what we've learned so far with practice and qualifying done:
Indy 500 analysis: Five things we've learned so far
AUTOSPORT's man in the US MARK GLENDENNING has summarised what we've learned so far with practice and qualifying done:
Indy 500 analysis: Five things we've learned so far
Bottas is giving Williams some feedback on tyres, suggesting warm-up was slow at first and there was drop-off on the last lap, but he admits that it could all have been down to the conditions.
That probably wasn't the most enlightening practice session for your Castrol EDGE GP Predictor choices... You've got until five minutes before qualifying to make your picks, and this week's prize is a Sony PS4 console.
Button confesses to McLaren but he bashed the front right wheel on the chicane wall on a late lap so it's worth a check.
Problem for Massa at the end as he's urged to "abort the start and cool the car" pretty firmly by the team.
Checkered flag
Here's the final order from that session:
1 Alonso
2 Hamilton
3 Vettel
4 Vergne
5 Bottas
6 Perez
7 Hulkenberg
8 Button
9 Ricciardo
10 Magnussen
11 Massa
12 Kvyat
13 Sutil
14 Maldonado
15 Gutierrez
16 Grosjean
17 Kobayashi
18 Bianchi
19 Chilton
20 Rosberg
21 Ericsson
22 Raikkonen
1 Alonso
2 Hamilton
3 Vettel
4 Vergne
5 Bottas
6 Perez
7 Hulkenberg
8 Button
9 Ricciardo
10 Magnussen
11 Massa
12 Kvyat
13 Sutil
14 Maldonado
15 Gutierrez
16 Grosjean
17 Kobayashi
18 Bianchi
19 Chilton
20 Rosberg
21 Ericsson
22 Raikkonen
Alonso stays on top as the session ends. Hamilton second and Vettel is third.
Hamilton has joined the Spaniard in the 1m18s, but over four tenths behind.
Stopwatch
A 1m18.482s for Alonso, by far the quickest time so far.
Grosjean is reporting some strange noises from his Lotus.
The time has run out, but Alonso has just set the fastest S1.
Red Bull suggests Ricciardo backs off in the final corners to create some space as there are "no good gaps" for him.
Ericsson's crash looks a fairly light one and he's trying to reverse the Caterham and continue.
Crash
Ericsson has gone nose-first into the barrier on the exit of Portier.
Vettel has improved and moves to second. Hamilton did not improve, but he is still on track.
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"Yeah... traffic. Big traffic," is Massa's summary to Williams.
Hamilton has reduced the gap to Alonso to around half a second and is on another flyer. Purple S1 so far.
Massa has a huge lock-up into the second part of the Swimming Pool then comes up abruptly behind the slower Mercedes of Rosberg, who he dodges.
Stopwatch
Alonso puts Ferrari on top with a 1m19.498s, miles ahead of everybody else.
Vergne is told some more front tyre temperature would be handy. Gutierrez's instructions seem to be Jose Mourinho related as he's told: "before the start of the lap, special one off".
By: Matt Beer, Ben Anderson, Pablo Elizalde, Edd Straw, Charles Bradley, Jonathan Noble
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