Webber Faces Nervous Wait in Monaco

Australian Mark Webber faced a nervous wait after his Jaguar's engine again caught fire in Saturday's Monaco Grand Prix practice.

While Ferrari's six times World Champion Michael Schumacher blasted around the street circuit with the fastest time, Webber was a bystander after a promising start to the day went up in smoke.

The Australian had been third fastest in the opening session, back on track with a vengeance after sitting out most of Thursday when flames erupted from his engine as the car exited the tunnel.

This time his engine flared up at Mirabeau, just after Casino square, in the second practice before the afternoon's single lap qualifying.

If the team have to change the power plant, Webber will lose 10 places on the starting grid under new rules limiting drivers to one engine per race weekend - a major handicap at Monaco where overtaking is almost impossible.

"We rebuilt it (the engine) on Thursday because we've got to try and qualify the race car and the race engine," said Jaguar managing director Dave Pitchforth.

"We've had another issue today and we're trying to do the same again. To go back 10 places is a big penalty so we've got about 40 minutes before we need to make the decision of what he's doing."

To complicate matters, the Jaguar garage hosted actors Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon immediately after the practice session as part of a promotional tie-up with the forthcoming motion picture 'Ocean's 12'.

The pitlane around the garage was a seething mob of photographers and bystanders as the actors posed in front of the cars and Webber's debrief had to wait until afterwards.