The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : Montoya and Alonso on top

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 20, 2005

Sport

Sport - Racing : Motor

Montoya and Alonso on top

MONTE CARLO: Juan Pablo Montoya, who won the Monaco GP in 2003, and championship leader Fernando Alonso led the opening practices on Thursday for this weekend's race.

Driving a McLaren-Mercedes, Montoya lapped the 3.34km street circuit in 1m17.152s in the morning practice.

Second quickest on a sunny morning was Alonso in a Renault in 1:17.301s. In the afternoon session, as the sun and track warmed up, Alonso clocked 1:15.835s.

Schumacher, hoping to use Monaco to turn around an atrocious season, had an uneven day in his Ferrari. In the morning, the defending world champion clocked 1:17.640s for fourth. Later, he was 11th in 1:17.170.

Jarno Trulli, last year's winner for Renault, was 13th in both practices in a Toyota. McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, who won last time out in Spain, had a 12th and sixth.

There are two more practice sessions on Saturday. Friday is traditionally an off day.

India's Narain Karthikeyan was 21st in both the practice sessions, behind his teammate Tiago Monteiro. Narain clocked 1:22.521s in the first and 1:21.879 in the second.

The top ten: Second practice: 1. Fernando Alonso, 1:15.835s; 2. Alexander Wurz 1:15.912; 3. David Coulthard 1:16.184; 4. Giancarlo Fisichella 1:16.519; 5. Juan Pablo Montoya 1:16.534; 6. Kimi Raikkonen 1:16.558; 7. Vitantonio Liuzzi 1:16.640; 8. Felipe Massa 1:16.914; 9. Ralf Schumacher 1:16.917; 10. Ricardo Zonta 1:17.046; 21. Narain Karthikeyan 1:21.879. — AP

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