• Monaco Grand Prix FP2

Alonso fastest in competitive session

ESPNF1 Staff
May 26, 2011
Fernando Alonso set the fastest time as drivers tried low fuel qualifying simulations on the super-soft tyres © Sutton Images
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Fernando Alonso set the quickest time of second practice as a competitive session suggested qualifying will be close for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Alonso set a time of 1:15.123 to edge out Lewis Hamilton by just 0.105s. Nico Rosberg was third less than 0.1s further back, with Jenson Button fourth and Sebastian Vettel in fifth. Mark Webber made up for lost time this morning by completing 42 laps, although he didn't set a lap on low fuel and was only eighth quickest.

Prospects for a close race looked more hopeful too, as both the Ferraris, McLarens and Rosberg ran at a pace competitive with Red Bull during the longer heavy fuel runs, although the unknown fuel loads and engine settings mean practice times are still notoriously difficult to read.

After Sebastian Vettel had sent the benchmark time on super-soft tyres, Alonso responded with a lap a full half a second quicker than the Red Bull, before Rosberg, Button and finally Hamilton all bettered Vettel's time.

Vitaly Petrov lost his front wing very late in the session, losing the rear of the car under braking for the Nouvelle Chicane and clipping the barrier with both ends of the car, although he managed to avoid more serious damage. Michael Schumacher was able to complete 33 laps as his car was repaired following his crash in FP1, setting the seventh fastest time.

The session had a few other close calls too, as Pastor Maldonado and Heikki Kovalainen both ran up the escape road at turn one after locking a tyre under braking, while Jaime Alguersuari also outbraked himself in to Ste Devote and was unable to keep the nose of his Toro Rosso out of the barriers. He was wheeled back with minimal damage though and able to return the car to the pits.

Paul di Resta's running was curtailed early after he lost power in top gear exiting the tunnel and had to park his car in a run off area, while Tonio Liuzzi was unable to make it out at all after his accident in FP1 due to damage to the suspension and steering. It wasn't a good afternoon for HRT, as Narain Karthikeyan was well off the pace and could be in danger of missing the 107% qualifying time on Saturday.

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