Thursday First Free Practice - Monaco GP

Michael Schumacher topped the times in the opening practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix on Thursday in a session that was briefly halted when Mark Webber's Jaguar erupted in flames.

World Champion Schumacher put in a scintillating lap with a time of 1:16.502 to finish ahead of closest rivals Takuma Sato, of Japan, and Briton Jenson Button in the two BAR-Hondas.

Sato finished 0.777 behind Schumacher, who is aiming to break the record for consecutive wins at the start of the season by claiming his sixth this weekend. Button was 0.837 seconds back in third.

Brazilian Ricardo Zonta finished fourth for Toyota but he was the last driver to finish within a second of Schumacher as Scot David Coulthard claimed fifth in his McLaren-Mercedes and Spaniard Fernando Alonso sixth for Renault.

Briton Anthony Davidson, the BAR-Honda test driver, finished seventh with Italian Jarno Trulli eighth for Renault. Colombian Williams-BMW driver Juan Pablo Montoya, and Finn Kimi Raikkonen, of McLaren, completed the top ten.

Giorgio Pantano, driving with a bad leg after injuring himself in a pre-race football match, was the first man out on track and caused a blockage in his Jordan when his car appeared to fail right at the entry to the pitlane.

Davidson took up his now regular role as the early pacesetter with a time of 1:21.404 in his BAR-Honda. Alonso went 0.052 seconds faster with 20 minutes gone but Davidson immediately pulled a second clear.

German Ralf Schumacher stopped in his Williams at the exit to the swimming pool after failing to set a competitive time and Montoya stepped up the pace to set the fastest lap before Alonso moved ahead with a time of 1:18.640.

The session was stopped when Webber's Jaguar caught fire as he exited the chicane but it was re-started after seven minutes when the car had been craned off the circuit.

Michael Schumacher went to the top of the times soon after the re-start when he set a time of 1:17.594 in his Ferrari, bettering by 0.198 seconds the next best time of Davidson, who had briefly regained the top spot.

German Timo Glock, in a Jordan, stopped at the first corner having completed a total of 15 laps during the session. Then there was more bad luck for Jaguar when Swedish test driver Bjorn Wirdheim stopped at the exit of the tunnel.

Zonta enjoyed a brief moment at the top of the times in his Toyota before Schumacher set the pace to become the first driver to break into the one minute 16 seconds bracket at the end of the session.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:16.502 14 2. Sato BAR-Honda (M) 1:17.279 + 0.777 23 3. Button BAR-Honda (M) 1:17.339 + 0.837 19 4. Zonta Toyota (M) 1:17.426 + 0.924 28 5. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:17.524 + 1.022 14 6. Alonso Renault (M) 1:17.686 + 1.184 21 7. Davidson BAR-Honda (M) 1:17.791 + 1.289 36 8. Trulli Renault (M) 1:17.856 + 1.354 23 9. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 1:17.937 + 1.435 16 10. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:17.952 + 1.450 18 11. Fisichella Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:18.338 + 1.836 16 12. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:18.621 + 2.119 12 13. da Matta Toyota (M) 1:18.889 + 2.387 22 14. Panis Toyota (M) 1:19.218 + 2.716 14 15. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:19.261 + 2.759 8 16. Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:19.335 + 2.833 13 17. Klien Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:19.487 + 2.985 27 18. Pantano Jordan-Ford (B) 1:20.528 + 4.026 17 19. Glock Jordan-Ford (B) 1:20.534 + 4.032 15 20. Wirdheim Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:20.680 + 4.178 18 21. Heidfeld Jordan-Ford (B) 1:21.141 + 4.639 14 22. Bruni Minardi-Cosworth (B) 1:21.201 + 4.699 27 23. Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth (B) 1:22.203 + 5.701 18 24. Leinders Minardi-Cosworth (B) 1:23.361 + 6.859 12 25. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) No Time 3 All timing unofficial