Monaco, 26 May 2007

Today's performance from Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro perfectly illustrates the unpredictable nature of rapid driving around a street circuit, further complicated today by the ever present threat of rain, rain that had actually fallen heavily in the morning. This meant it was even harder than usual to judge the level of grip on offer or when to go out on track, in an effort to pull two elements together, namely a clear track with no traffic and the best possible conditions.

In the end one Ferrari driver, Felipe Massa managed to emerge at the end of the session with a very positive third place, but for Kimi Raikkonen the day did not go so well as the unforgiving barriers at the Swimming Pool claimed a steering arm and so he starts way down on the eighth row of the grid, having failed to get into the final part of qualifying. It was evidently not a great day for Finns, as in fifteenth spot alongside him is the Renault of fellow countryman, Heikki Kovalainen.


This is the first time that an F2007 has failed to get onto the front row of the grid this year and the pole man today is reigning world champion, Fernando Alonso. Making it an all-McLaren-Mercedes front row, Lewis Hamilton joins his team-mate in second place.
Alongside Felipe is a man who always seems to qualify well at this track, Giancarlo Fisichella in the Renault, with fifth spot going to the Williams-Toyota of Nico Rosberg, sharing Row 3 with Mark Webber in the Red Bull Renault.

A long race, a high chance of seeing the Safety Car, the risk of getting stuck in traffic and no run-off areas: if all these difficulties were not enough, tomorrow's 72 lap race is also under threat of more bad weather. Hard to say if that will help or hinder the efforts of our two drivers.