Karthikeyan Rues Lack of Running

Karthikeyan, visiting the Mediterranean principality for the first time, had a brush with the wall in the morning session and damaged his EJ15 car.

As a result, his track time was restricted in the afternoon.

The Indian driver finished over six seconds off the pace, and was the slowest of the Jordan drivers.

"As a result from a small contact with the barrier this morning, my running time was a bit restricted this afternoon, however I have still managed to complete 12 laps," said Karthikeyan.

"Today was my first time on the Monaco circuit so I have spent most of the allocated time familiarising myself with the layout. It is quite a difficult track to learn, so I will need more laps on Saturday and do some catch-up."

Teammate Tiago Monteiro, who had raced at Monte Carlo before, had a more productive day, completing 31 laps in the afternoon.

The Portuguese rookie finished 20th.

"First day in Monaco can always be a surprise," Monteiro said. "It was much different from the last time I was here. In the free practice session, you have to take it easy, step by step and try not to make any mistake.

"You have to find exactly where to brake as otherwise you can lose a lot of time. It is also important to gain confidence on this track, as it can be tricky. Qualifying on Saturday and Sunday will be crucial because it is very difficult to overtake here, therefore I will take some risks."