2014 Monaco Grand Prix Thursday - Practice
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Rosberg does a 1m20.094s as he continues to improve on his seventh lap.
EDD STRAW: A big moment for Gutierrez, who struggled to get the Sauber stopped. He manages to haul it into the chicane and catch the slide.
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Up front, Rosberg improves to a 1m20.461s. Bottas and and Gutierrez have also now put in slow, tentative times.
EDD also spots a big rear-end slide from Maldonado on the way in, but it's well corrected.
Kobayashi outbrakes himself into the chicane in front of EDD STRAW and takes the safe option of cutting the corner.
As Rosberg improves to a 1m21.070s, Ericsson puts in a rather more cautious 1m35.105s.
EDD STRAW: Just as in the last two years, Rosberg is very confident on the brakes into the chicane. There's still loads more to come, though.
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Rosberg brings it down to a 1m22.534s next time around.
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Rosberg comes out and does the first flying lap of the day, a 1m24.681s.
Ferrari reports the track temperature is a lowly 23 degrees Celsius. Still overcast and around a 20 per cent chance of rain.
EDD STRAW: Very preliminary observations based on a few gentle early laps, but we're seeing way more cars out of shape and battling wheelspin at the chicane than in previous years.
That will get easier as the track gains grip, but there was certainly plenty of wheelspin for Vettel on his out-lap.
That will get easier as the track gains grip, but there was certainly plenty of wheelspin for Vettel on his out-lap.
Vettel is now on track - and has it to himself.
A busy pitlane now as cars come in and out between installation runs.
The only cars we're yet to see are the two Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull and Romain Grosjean's Lotus.
The only cars we're yet to see are the two Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull and Romain Grosjean's Lotus.
Even on the out-lap, reports EDD STRAW from trackside, Kamui Kobayashi kicked the back out at the chicane. Big oversteer moment to correct.
All teams have an extra set of soft tyres they can use in the first half hour of the session, so that's the rubber they are most likely to be using from the start.
EDD STRAW reports that Marussia is running new brake drums on Max Chilton's car this morning. If all goes well, both cars will have them for Saturday.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's a clutch of rookies among those straight out on track.
Kevin Magnussen, Esteban Gutierrez, Jean-Eric Vergne, Pastor Maldonado, Fernando Alonso, Marcus Ericsson, Adrian Sutil and Valtteri Bottas are first out for their installation laps.
Kevin Magnussen, Esteban Gutierrez, Jean-Eric Vergne, Pastor Maldonado, Fernando Alonso, Marcus Ericsson, Adrian Sutil and Valtteri Bottas are first out for their installation laps.
Green flag
The light turns to green and Monaco 2014 has begun.
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Marussia's plan for today is probably one that will be mirrored throughout much of the pitlane:
"So today we'll be more about running than set-up changes and aero tests. Need to see that track evolve first."
"So today we'll be more about running than set-up changes and aero tests. Need to see that track evolve first."
Ericsson Peterson helmet
And here is that helmet and bag from Ericsson. An extremely cool gesture.
BEN ANDERSON: "Drivers changing helmet designs as often as they change underpants is usually quite annoying, but at Monaco they get extra leeway on account of nods to history.
"F1 rookie Marcus Ericsson can take a bow this year; he'll be running a Ronnie Peterson livery on his lid, which he's apparently carrying around in Peterson's original helmet bag, thanks to supplier Bell."
"F1 rookie Marcus Ericsson can take a bow this year; he'll be running a Ronnie Peterson livery on his lid, which he's apparently carrying around in Peterson's original helmet bag, thanks to supplier Bell."
This time a year ago, Nico Rosberg was quickest for Mercedes - his benchmark time a 1m16.195s.
Everyone pretty much avoiding the barriers on Thursday morning in 2013, although Romain Grosjean had a minor prang that set the scene for a weekend of rather bigger ones.
But that proved a turning point for the Lotus man, who has shed his crash-happy reputation almost entirely in the 12 months since.
Everyone pretty much avoiding the barriers on Thursday morning in 2013, although Romain Grosjean had a minor prang that set the scene for a weekend of rather bigger ones.
But that proved a turning point for the Lotus man, who has shed his crash-happy reputation almost entirely in the 12 months since.
There has already been single-seater track action in Monaco this morning.
Formula Renault 3.5 is making its annual appearance on the F1 support bill, and Norman Nato led his Red Bull protege DAMS team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr in a very early-morning practice session.
Monaco Formula Renault 3.5 practice report
Formula Renault 3.5 is making its annual appearance on the F1 support bill, and Norman Nato led his Red Bull protege DAMS team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr in a very early-morning practice session.
Monaco Formula Renault 3.5 practice report
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Many drivers have already declared that this will be a much-harder Monaco weekend than the last few years have been, thanks to the very-different characteristics of this year's cars.
"The cars have been quite tricky to drive and we arrive to a very special circuit with a unique layout and some risky points," said Fernando Alonso yesterday...
...while Felipe Massa had this to say during the build-up:
"We drive with the car a lot more sideways [in 2014].
"The torque we have from the engine is maybe double what we had last year, and the grip from the tyre is not very high, so Monaco will be a very easy race to crash.
"I think it will be the toughest race of the season."
"The cars have been quite tricky to drive and we arrive to a very special circuit with a unique layout and some risky points," said Fernando Alonso yesterday...
...while Felipe Massa had this to say during the build-up:
"We drive with the car a lot more sideways [in 2014].
"The torque we have from the engine is maybe double what we had last year, and the grip from the tyre is not very high, so Monaco will be a very easy race to crash.
"I think it will be the toughest race of the season."
Good morning and welcome to AUTOSPORT Live's coverage of the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
We're just over half an hour away from practice and, even by Monte Carlo standards, today is going to be a step into the unknown for the Formula 1 field.
We're just over half an hour away from practice and, even by Monte Carlo standards, today is going to be a step into the unknown for the Formula 1 field.
By: Matt Beer, Ben Anderson, Pablo Elizalde, Edd Straw, Charles Bradley, Jonathan Noble
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