Hill must improve to follow in father's footsteps

The ex-champion was 11th quickest in Thursday practice for the fourth race of the season and knows he must dramatically improve if he wants to follow in his father's footsteps and win the most famous race on the calendar.

'Overtaking is almost impossible so qualifying is vital,' he said.

'Where you are on the grid pretty much determines your race position. So you must start in the top six to have a chance of winning the race.

'We know why we ended up 11th and I have every reason to feel optimistic that we will be competitive on Saturday and I am looking forward to qualifying.

'But it is not going to be easy to win here - we are certainly not the favourites.'

Hill's father won the race five times and was dubbed 'Mr Monaco'. Although his son has led the race as a Williams driver he has never managed to reach the chequered flag first.

But chances have been substantially improved this year by aerodynamic improvements to his Jordan and the latest uprating of his impressive Honda V10 engine.

But it may take an altogether higher power to get him to the line first if he does not climb the field in qualifying.

'Grid positions are vital unless it rains - then you could start at the back and still win,' he added.