Alonso still seeking single-lap pace

The 2007 race winner was seventh in both sessions and declared himself happy despite clipping the barrier and damaging his rear suspension at Turn 12.

"Overall the two sessions have gone well for us," said Alonso. "The track was very dirty this morning, but we made good progress with our programme and the car reacted well to the changes we made.

"We seem to be on the pace in the long runs, but we must now improve our performance over a single lap because qualifying here is vital. That is where we will put our efforts."

Alonso's teammate Nelson Piquet had a less successful day, setting the 18th and 15th fastest times in the two sessions and damaging his rear-wing in a spin, also at Turn 12.

"Monaco is a difficult circuit and so I spent the day learning and familiarising myself
with the track," he said. "We were able to evaluate some different set-ups, but I am still missing a bit of speed and I did not feel totally comfortable in the car.

"I hope that by Saturday I can make some progress with my engineers, so that I can make the most of the final free practice session. Then I need to approach qualifying calmly, especially as it's more important here than anywhere else."