Webber: Tyre Wear will Determine Race

The Australian admitted that he was surprised to have kept his position from the fourth fastest Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella - but he knows that nothing is guaranteed for this afternoon.

"I thought that Giancarlo would have got us, but we are there," he said. "It was a pretty reasonable lap, but we got the P4.

"The race is going to be about tyre wear today, though. There is massive rear tyre wear here, so it is not over until the Fat Lady sings."

Teams have previously been able to run ultra-soft tyres for the Monaco Grand Prix, with the out-and-out qualifying pace of rubber more important than its durability.

But with drivers not allowed to change tyres this year, there has had to be far more of a compromise this time out - with some teams believing that the soft tyre option on offer will not last the race.