Practice 3: Kubica fastest as Alonso crashes

Robert Kubica topped the timing screens in the final free practice session at Monaco

May.15 (www.yallaf1.com) Renault’s Robert Kubica showed that he is a true contender by ending up fastest in the final free practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend with a clinical display which saw him hog the top of the timing screens for most of the session.

Fernando Alonso's session ended in the barrier

However, the big news was Fernando Alonso crashing his Ferrari heavily at Massenet which he said he “lost the car” and asked if it was driver error he replied curtly, “Yes.”

The accident will have done the Spaniard’s weekend no good considering that on the opening day he was unbeatable and before the off he was setting the pace around the principality.

Ferrari press release stated, “he telemetry is being checked now for any anomaly on the Spaniard’s car, which was seriously damaged by the heavy impact. The team now faces a frantic two hours, especially as it is suspected the gearbox might be damaged, to get the car rebuilt for the crucial qualifying sessions which starts at 14.00.”

Giving Ferrari some reason to be content was Felipe Massa who managed the second best time in the session, in what was a ragged display by the Brazilian who flirted abundantly with the ever present Monaco Armco.

Mark Webber ended the final practice session third best

Third quickest was Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) who has brought his Spanish GP winning form to the principality and trashing theories that the RB6 would not function among the front runners on the slow street circuit.

Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes) ended the session fourth fastest, fractionally faster than Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) with the top five separated by les than a quarter of a second.

Next up, in the midday session were, the Silver Arrows pair of Michael Schumacher sixth fastest and Nico Rosberg ending seventh best but the young German would be happy as a series of very fast laps by him in the final minutes were baulked by slower cars.

Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) showed that the team’s STR5 was no slouch around the streets by posting the eighth best time, at one stage he was well into the top five fastest out on track.

Adrian Sutil powers through the tunnel

Ninth quickest was Adrian Sutil (Force India) ahead of fellow Mercedes powered rival Jenson Button (McLaren) who complained of a lack of grip.

Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India) managed to get closer to Sutil, who has been substantially quicker than the Italian all weekend, by setting the 11th best time.

Half a second down on his slightly more experienced team mate was Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) who was making his first appearance in F1 at Monaco.

Nico Hulkenberg was fastest of the Cosworth runners

Rookie Nico Hulkenberg was 13th best and heading his vastly more experienced Williams team mate Rubens Barrichello who was 14th.

Kubica’s scintillating pace at the front would have been a major wake up call for Renault rookie team mate who was 15th on the timing sheets, almost a second and a half on Poland’s finest.

Alonso only managed six laps in what was a brief session for him, at the time of his coming together with the Massenet barriers he was setting the early pace. But ended 16th fastest in the session.

Kamui Kobayashi again got the better of Sauber team mate Pedro de la Rosa, they finished 17th and 18th respectively. The Sauber C29 clearly not the piece of kit to be pounding around the streets of Monte Carlo.

Around three seconds off the pace setters, and the smallest margin to the front runners they have enjoyed all year, were the Lotus duo of Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli who were best of the new team drivers in 19th and 20th respectively.

Lucas di Grassi (Virgin Racing) was 21st ahead of the Hispania rookies Bruno Senna in 23rd and Karun Chandhok in 22nd who were a whopping five seconds too slow and not much faster than the best GP2 times.

Timo Glock (Virgin Racing) failed to notch up a time.

Report in progress….

Practice 3 – 15 May 2010