Dennis Encouraged by Michelin Performance

McLaren boss Ron Dennis praised the performance on French tyre manufacturer Michelin in today's practice for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Michelin runners dominated the session at the slippery circuit, occupying the top three positions, with McLaren's David Coulthard finishing in third place behind Renault's Jarno Trulli and Toyota's Allan McNish.

Dennis was encouraged by the performance, despite an accident that caused Kimi Raikkonen to miss the whole second session.

"Encouraging performance from our tyre partner Michelin," said Dennis. "Hopefully it will continue throughout the rest of the weekend. Kimi's accident was unfortunate, but the rest of the day's running was uneventful."

Finn Raikkonen destroyed his McLaren when he crashed into the barriers at the Rascasse corner during the morning session, being unable to return to the track in the afternoon and finishing down in 19th place.

"I was on a fast lap when I lost control of the car at La Rascasse," he said. "The impact damaged the chassis and I was unable to do any more running today. We will be using my T-car for the rest of the weekend. Fortunately the team brought five cars but my aim is only to use two."