Liuzzi delighted with qualifying effort

The Toro Rosso driver made full use of the superior torque of his Cosworth V10 engine to make it to the second qualifying session and finish in 13th position.

"It's fantastic because Monaco is such a special race and we came here really motivated," said Liuzzi. "At the beginning of the session I struggled a bit but then it got better in the second. This is a great starting point for tomorrow and I'm really happy.

"It was hard out there: you have to fight to avoid not only the traffic but also the walls. It's twice as hard as anywhere else. I enjoyed this afternoon. I love Monaco because you need balls to go within millimetres of the wall and that's what I love."

It was a day of mixed fortunes for Toro Rosso, however, as Liuzzi's teammate Scott Speed was unable to make the first cut.

The American, who will start from 21st, blamed Super Aguri's Franck Montagny for blocking him.

"Montagny blocked me for my first two laps on new tyres and after that, my tyres were past their best and I was well off the pace with no chance of improving my time," Speed said.

"So coming in before that part of the session was over did not make any difference, because Montagny was still in front of me.

"It's a shame because my pace was better than Tonio's at one point and he ended up thirteenth. I've had horrible luck in qualifying this season, just the worst. But well done to Tonio who did a great job today."