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Kimi Räikkönen will start from fifth on the grid and Romain Grosjean thirteenth after an exciting rain-visited qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix. Following damage to his car in morning practice, a stellar effort from Romain’s crew saw the Frenchman back in action with just minutes of Q1 to spare, topping the times with his first lap on the drying track. Traffic in the Q2 session however denied him a higher starting position for tomorrow’s race. Kimi Räikkönen, E21-03. Q: P5, 1:14.822. FP3: P6, 1:15.380 It was a difficult day today because of the weather, but it was the same for all of the drivers. Obviously, qualifying here is never the easiest with the traffic and the barriers and you’d always prefer it to be dry as it’s so slippery when it’s wet. I’m happy we made it through to the top ten and P5 was more or less the best we could do with seven tenths to the next fastest car. I’m not sure what we’ll do in the race; we don’t have a clear picture yet as you never know exactly what the strategies from everyone else will be, but for sure we’ll find out tomorrow. Romain Grosjean, E21-02. Q: P13, 1:18.603. FP3: P2, 1:15.039 The team did an unbelievable job to get the car ready for me after what happened in P3 this morning; I’m extremely grateful to all of them. I really owe them today and I think that’s more drinks I will have to buy at the end of the weekend. We had the car to do something very good in qualifying, but I caught Daniel [Ricciardo] in Q2 when the track was getting drier and faster. I had just two laps on the slicks and we weren’t able to get through to the top ten which is really frustrating. What can you say? This is Monaco. We have seen different weather conditions and it is a unique circuit. We will see what happens in the race tomorrow. Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: How was qualifying for the team? It was a disappointing session for us. Firstly we need to say a big thank you to Romain’s crew for getting his car ready for qualifying in lightening quick time, and they were rewarded by a lightening quick first lap from their man. Unfortunately, traffic at the end of Q2 prevented him from getting into the top ten which was a great shame. Kimi has a reasonable position with P5 on the grid, but moving forwards up the order at Monaco is exceptionally difficult so any gains tomorrow will be hard won. How difficult was it on the pitwall through qualifying? Our car worked well in all conditions today so the weather wasn’t so much of a problem, we just had to ensure we had the correct tyres on at the right time. Finding clear track here is always difficult, no matter what the weather, and that’s what we saw with Romain today. Romain’s Q1 lap was quite something? It was an incredibly impressive lap. To go out in variable conditions with the pressure of only having a few minutes of the session remaining, and still manage to go P1 on your first lap is really quite an achievement. What’s possible in the race? Monaco is a very different circuit from any other, with the short lap length and traffic considerations meaning that there are not many viable options for different strategies. Add that to a dry weather forecast for tomorrow – plus the fact that it’s almost impossible to pass here – and we have a very difficult race in prospect. We will of course look at all possibilities and do what we can to get our cars to the front. It’s a very long race and we have seen fortunes change on a Sunday quite often thus far in 2013, so anything’s possible.

Kimi Räikkönen completed the first practice sessions for the Monaco Grand Prix with the sixth fastest time of the day, with team-mate Romain Grosjean right behind him in seventh. Kimi set his time on the super soft Pirelli tyre whilst Romain – who was third fastest in the morning – set his time on the soft compound. Romain’s afternoon session ended early after contact with the barriers on his out lap for a super soft run. As part of the team’s partnership with Columbia Records, both cars and drivers – as well as the team garage – sport eye-catching Daft Punk livery for this weekend. Technical programme notes Both drivers ran with new front and rear wing specifications today. Pirelli’s soft (yellow) compound tyre was used in the morning session, the soft and supersoft (red) in the afternoon. The Monaco barriers are unforgiving. What we learned today: The Monaco-spec front and rear wings work well. The E21 looks good on both tyre dry compounds. The damage to Romain’s car is easily repairable and he will continue with a replacement Monaco-spec front wing tomorrow. Kimi Räikkönen, E21-03 Free Practice 1: P11, 1:17.509, 26 laps Free Practice 2: P6, 1:15.511, 39 laps Kimi: “I was much happier at the end of today than this morning. We spent the first session getting the steering right as it wasn’t great at the beginning, then we changed a few things on the car and it felt far better. We’ve still got a few other areas to improve, but it was getting stronger with every run today. To get pole we have to make the car a bit faster overall and I have to drive a bit better, then we’ll have to see what happens.” Romain Grosjean, E21-02 Free practice 1: P3, 1:16.380, 21 laps Free practice 2: P7, 1:15.718, 10 laps Romain: “After a great start to the day it was a real shame to end things early. I didn’t have the grip I expected going into the corner, but there was nothing wrong with the car; my braking and entry speed were all wrong and I ended up hitting the barrier. There was no chance to let off and go straight on into the runoff area; I was committed to the corner so that was it. We have a very good car here and it gives you the confidence to push, but unfortunately I pushed a bit too hard. I’m sorry for the team and I definitely owe them all a drink for all the work that’s needed before Saturday. The grid looks very close, but we seem in good shape and I’m eager to get back out on track and fight for the top positions.” Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “We’re pretty happy about today. We had a little blip with Romain going into the wall and stopping him doing any long run evaluations in the afternoon, but Kimi completed plenty of laps so we have ample amounts of data to evaluate. Our pace looks good, both drivers are pretty happy with their cars and we’ve still got some improvements to make on both front end grip and single lap pace. There’s not too much damage to Romain’s car and we have plenty of spares so we’re not concerned on that front. That Romain’s fastest lap today was on the soft tyre illustrates his strong pace here, as there’s a second or even more to come from the super soft. Kimi’s a little further off getting the perfect set-up, but we know where the improvements should come from.”

SØRENSEN: P6, STANAWAY: DNF WORLD SERIES BY RENAULT – MONACO Denmark’s Marco Sørensen claimed an impressive sixth place finish for Lotus on the streets of Monte Carlo on Sunday afternoon when he climbed from ninth on the grid to score eight valuable champion points. The 21-year-old gained two places on the first lap before inheriting sixth place on lap 9 when Fortec’s Robin Frijns retired at the Nouvelle Chicane. Lotus was heading for a double points finish until the closing stages of the race when New Zealander Richie Stanaway crashed at the Swimming Pool complex, ploughing head-on into the tecpro barrier after an apparent mechanical failure. He had been running tenth at the time, in the final points-scoring position. The result boosts Sørensen’s points tally to 14, putting him ninth in the championship, while Stanaway slips to 14th place on 8 points. Lotus has scord 22 points so far this season and lies seventh in the teams’ championship.

At this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, the first Lotus Originals franchise store has opened near the Principality’s famous Monte Carlo Casino Square. Lotus Originals is the fashion arm of the legendary sports car and racing marque, and the collection is inspired by the British sense of style, heritage, innovation and rebellious spirit that goes into every on-road Lotus design. Lotus is hailed for its engineering and thirst for competition. It is also known for style. Heroes of reality and fiction, from Jim Clark to James Bond, have outgunned their rivals from behind the wheel of a Lotus, and they looked good doing it. Partner Forza Rossa Holding, official Lotus cars dealer since 2011, recognise this and joins the Lotus family with the opening of the Monte Carlo store which carries the brand new Lotus Originals retail concept. It’s fitting that this first franchise store be in Monaco, the scene of the first grand prix victory for a Lotus, in 1960 at the hands of Stirling Moss. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, Monaco’s Mayor Georges Marsan and State Minister Michel Roger were joined by Lotus F1 Team’s Gerard Lopez, Eric Boullier and Romain Grosjean, Lotus Sales and Marketing Director Maurizio Parlato and Forza Rossa Holding’s President Ion Bazac at the opening of the store. Here you will find apparel, accessories, gifts, toys, bikes and collectables that will thrill Lotus fans, and bring others into our Lotus world. Speaking of which, we took the opportunity in Monaco to launch a special car designed for the next generation of Lotus drivers: a slightly smaller-than-usual Lotus Elan, one of Lotus’ most-beloved classics which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. What’s more, the car is eligible for racing. The Little Big Le Mans, which forms part of the Le Mans Classic race weekend, is designed for lucky young drivers aged 6-14, and this Elan is eligible for this event. Also, 20 years after we helped win gold in Barcelona in 1992 with the revolutionary Lotus Type 108 Superbike, we are showing for the first time, a stunning hand made carbon fibre black and gold bespoke bicycle from our new collaboration with Condor Cycles Ltd. Lotus Originals can also be found at the company’s Hethel HQ and at Norwich City Football Club’s stadium, and we’re also opening our flagship store in the heart of London in six weeks time: 4,800 sq ft of retail space on Regents Street. It will be, as it is here in Monaco, an iconic location for an iconic brand. Maurizio Parlato, Director of Sales & Marketing, Group Lotus: “It is our mission to grow the Lotus brand internationally, to become more of a global player, and to do that we need to produce great cars, but we also want Lotus to be a lifestyle brand of its own. Our founder, Colin Chapman, understood this. He was a trendsetter in every way. He also recognised the marketing potential of motorsport better than anyone else at that time, and had an eye for detail that pervaded every aspect of his company’s presentation. Therefore, I believe he would be very excited to see what we’re doing here today – opening this first Lotus Originals franchise.” Ion Bazac, Forza Rossa Holding President: “It is a big honour and pleasure for us to inaugurate the first Lotus Originals franchise store in such a prestigious and exclusive place like Monte Carlo, famous worldwide for its fabulous Grand Prix. With the new Lotus originals collections and accessories you will find a unique link between the past, the present and the future of the Lotus brand and its very passionate history and heroes. Lotus Originals Monte Carlo is more than a store, it is a place of meeting and dialogue between fans and their favorite brand, so that the legend, the winning heritage and dreams of Colin Chapman be more alive than ever.”

GP3’s debut at the famous twisty Monaco street circuit was a huge success for the Lotus GP team with two podium finishes from two races, including a win in race one, courtesy of Aaro Vainio. This means they have had a car on the podium in every race so far this season. After taking his maiden pole position in the series, a session that was cut into two groups just like GP2, with a stunning lap that was almost a second faster than second placed ma Aaro went one step better by winning taking his debut GP3 career win at the prestigious event, a perfect start to the history making weekend. He finished it off with a seventh placed finish in the shortened action packed race two to leave the Principality at the top of the championship with 54 points. Meanwhile, the season race two was cut short was due to the fence being damaged too much after Aaro’s teammate, Conor Daly, had the biggest crash of his motor racing career. Earlier in the race Conor touched the rear of another car and while he continued on after that, he then hit the rear of his opponent’s car, who no longer had a rear wing and was extremely slow. Despite this, he moved across the track several times defend his position and Conor had nowhere to go and hit him exiting the tunnel. This added to his woes from race one, where, starting from row four on the grid he was deemed to have made a jump start, invoking a drive through penalty. But despite his early getaway he didn’t get far as his Lotus actually stalled on the grid, the penalty adding insult to injury and he finished last, despite showing great race pace. The third member of the team, Daniel Abt, didn’t have a very good qualifying session, and also started race one from the fourth of the grid. He had a brilliant drive to finish sixth after winning a superb fight with Antonio Felix Da Costa who was trying everything in his power to outmanoeuvre him. This meant he started third on the grid in race two, the perfect position to secure the teams second podium finish of the weekend and the first of his GP3 career. Aaro Vaino sits first in the championship on 54 points with Conor Daly fifth on 23 and Daniel Abt seventh on 22. The team sits in first int eh teams championship with 99 points, 16 ahead of second place. Daniel Abt: My qualifying was definitely not a source of satisfaction and I have to work on this part of the weekend. I had a good start in race 1, but after that not much happened as it is really hard to overtake here. Once in 6th position I made sure I kept it and defended from da Costa’s attack because I knew it would give me the opportunity to start from the top 3 on Saturday for the reverse grid race. The second race didn’t last long but anyway, it was all about the start and I think mine was good. Unfortunately the guys ahead of me did a good job too and I kept third. I am really happy to get my first podium in GP3, especially in Monaco which is my favourite track. In all honesty, I don’t think we had the start to the season we were expecting but the team is great, I feel confident and we must build on this podium to be sure to finish higher in the next races. Conor Daly: It was definitely the biggest crash I have ever had. I feel bad for the team because the car they gave me was just mega and I was having a lot of fun, overtaking on this track is such a challenge, and of course the track itself is already an incredible challenge. But I can’t help it when people do stupid moves and Monaco did not land the results we should have got, partly because of me when I jump started the first race and suffered a drive through penalty. How ironic, after a slight move on the grid I could not getaway and lost a lot of positions already. Anyway, this is past, time to move on and to focus on the next round. Aaro Vainio: To achieve pole and to win in Monaco is so amazing. I was very comfortable in practice and qualifying was sensational thanks to the car Lotus prepared. Sometimes you put everything together and that was the case in qualifying then in the race. I had a great start and managed to open a gap in the first few laps and then I was controlling the race. It is my first ever win in singleseater and it feels great. I wanted to leave Monaco leading the points and that’s what we achieved. But the season is long, I can’t wait for the next challenge on another street track, bring Valencia on! Frédéric Vasseur: On one hand there is the great satisfaction of securing a second win and to put a car on the podium at each race so far, Aaro was outstanding all weekend long, Daniel and Conor were on par but did not get the best out of the qualifying session. On the other hand, there was this scary crash that should have never happened. Conor was so much faster than Suranovich who was slowing the pack 7 seconds per lap. But he just would not get out of the way, moved two or three times under the tunnel and Conor had nowhere to go. This is a lucky escape in the end because Conor is safe but I hope this is a lesson everyone will learn, teams, drivers and race direction, to make the championship better.

The fifth round of the 2012 GP2 season took place under beautiful blue skies in Monaco this week-end, however it wasn’t a weekend to remember for the Lotus GP team. The jewel in the crown on the F1 calendar definitely wasn’t the nicest so far for Esteban Gutierrez. The Mexican’s weekend got off to a bad start after he lost the rear of his Lotus and slammed into the wall just out of St Devote, bringing his practice session to a premature end. With an new qualifying format in place for the first time in GP2 history where the cars were split into two groups, odd and even numbers, Esteban qualified fifth in his group, but that meant he lined up fifth from the front with odds down one side of the grid and evens down the other. Race one was difficult and after losing out in the pits, Gutiérrez was running 9th until he came up to lap a backmarker and ran too deep, bounced over the kerbs and into the wall, forcing him back into the pits to retire with a broken front wing. Race two was one to remember however with a brilliant drive up through the field in a race littered with accidents and a safety car intervention to eventually cross the finish line in eighth place. With 2 sets of each tyre, and a shortened qualifying session teammate James Calado was seventh fastest in his group, meaning he started the feature race from row seven, his strategy was to pit early, coming in on lap 11 in an attempt to make up some ground. His strategy paid off and he eventually crossed the line in seventh place. Starting from the front two in the sprint race, the young Englishman was swamped at the start by polesitter, Stephane Richelmi leaving him nowhere to go except into the back of him, damaging his front wing in the process. He was eventually shown the black and orange flag due to the damage and his chance of scoring points was over. Heading into the next round in Valencia in three weeks time, Calado is now fifth in the championship with 75 points while Gutierrez is sixth on 60 points. Lotus GP remains in second place in the teams classification on 135 points. Esteban Gutierrez: Well, it was the worst track to drastically curtail track time in practice and it more or less dictated the rest of the weekend. I caught up a bit in qualifying as my lap time was not bad but I suffered from the lack of preparation to go grab the last tenths. I had a good start and gained positions right away which is always pleasing in Monaco. A good pitstop and a great car helped us fight for more and we were 7th when I found a lapped car acting weird in front of me. I tried to avoid him at the chicane but I did not have enough space, I went on the kerb and straight into the wall. I have to say the second race was very positive after a very tough weekend mentally speaking. A point finish was somewhat unconceivable starting from 23rd on the grid in Monaco but with a pile up in first lap and a strong race we manage to grab 1 point. Now we have to work hard to make sure we finally get the results the car and the team deserve. James Calado: After my first pole a fortnight ago, 13th position on the grid in the feature race was certainly not what I was expecting. It was a disappointment not to be able to string three quick sectors together. The plan was to pit early to get rid of traffic and aim for 8th place and the reverse pole. It worked out perfectly! I lost 3 positions at the start but then I peeled off a lot of fast laps and after the pit stop our goal was achieved. We used to stay the start is crucial in Monaco and it was for me, but in a bad way. I had a good start and was fighting with the polesitter when he left me no room; I had nowhere to go but in the back of his car and it destroyed my front wing and nose. I had to go back to the pits to change it and from then on scoring points was out of reach. Frédéric Vasseur: This is our worst weekend so far on the points scoring level but the performance and potential of both James and Esteban were very good and the team did their best to prepare a fast car. In Monaco more than anywhere else, the smallest delay in preparation costs you dearly and that’s what hampered our progress with Esteban hitting the barriers after a few laps in practice while James struggled to put his three best sector times together. They both recovered really well in the race and did not get the results they deserved because of external issues we could not do anything about.

Lotus F1 Team endured a difficult Monaco Grand Prix, with Kimi Räikkönen finishing in ninth position and Romain Grosjean crashing out of the race before the first corner. It was also a difficult race for the strategists with rain looming but never arriving to any significant extent until immediately after the chequered flag fell. Lotus F1 Team are now tied in third position in the Constructors’ Championship with Ferrari. Both cars started on used sets of red-marked super soft Pirelli P-Zero tyres. Kimi changed to a set of new soft tyres on lap 29. Kimi Räikkönen, P9, E20-03 “Ninth was the best we could do today. I didn’t start in a great position and I had some difficulties during the race so it’s not been the easiest weekend, but at least we got a couple of points. It’s better than nothing but not exactly what we wanted. One race doesn’t change the fact that we have been pretty strong everywhere – even here at the beginning of the weekend. This circuit is completely different from any other and I don’t think we should worry too much about the fact that it wasn’t our best weekend. It is what it is – sometimes it doesn’t go the way you expected and now we should look to Canada for a better result.” Romain Grosjean, DNF, E20-04 “We struggled to get off the line and it looked like Lewis [Hamilton] in front didn’t have the best start either. Fernando [Alonso] pulled alongside him so I was then on the outside of both cars, and unfortunately Michael [schumacher] was on the outside of me as well. There just wasn’t enough room and next thing I’m facing all the traffic after just one hundred metres which wasn’t a nice feeling. It’s a disappointing end to the week after some positive early signs, but that’s racing and now we look forward to Canada and a chance to bounce back.” Eric Boullier, Team Principal "We arrived in Monaco after two consecutive podiums and did not really know what to expect at such a unique circuit. Before qualifying it was obvious that the E20 was going to be competitive, but things did not go as planned. Our positions on the grid did not reflect our true pace and that put us on the back foot for the rest of the weekend. Unfortunately Romain’s race ended prematurely after contact with Michael Schumacher, and like the Stewards I think it was a racing incident. With Kimi, we knew that fighting for a podium was going to be more than difficult. It then became obvious that we were struggling with our tyres when the temperature fell. The grip was just not there and we could only defend our position. In the end, the two points we’ve scored today are disappointing but because the field is so tight we have not lost too much ground on our opponents. We have the same number of points as Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, while Kimi is 25 points away from Fernando Alonso who’s leading the drivers’ classification. Anything can still happen and the championship is wide open. We’re now looking forward to Montreal, the first low downforce track of the season, where the E20 should be strong. Finally, I wish to congratulate the team for all their hard work this weekend. Our 500th was not one of our best, but I hope the 501st is!” James Allison, Technical Director “We’ve had five races so far this season where we’ve shown strongly. Sadly, at the sixth we were not on the pace. It was a completely joyless experience from start to finish. Romain has been metronomic this weekend, but he was out of the race before the first corner which was a massive blow to our hopes for today. Kimi had an okay start, but wasn’t able to keep the car running at a challenging pace once the sheen came off his tyres after ten or fifteen laps. We stayed out longer than we would have done otherwise on the first set of super soft tyres as we, and everyone else, were waiting for rain to come. Now we have to pick ourselves up and come back in Canada to bring both cars home in strong placings.” Ricardo Penteado, Renault Sport F1 Team Support Leader “We worked hard to deliver good drive and response over the lower rev ranges to deal with the low average speed of the Monaco track. The package has been quick this weekend, which was reflected in the qualifying positions, but Romain was very unlucky to be involved in the accident at the start. Ninth place for Kimi is a bit frustrating and not reflective of the general level of performance we have shown at this event.”

It was a full of action race today in Monaco as no less than 8 cars have been eliminated in the first meters of the race. James Calado and Esteban Gutierrez managed to survived the chaos but the british driver has been forced to change his front wing by the race control. However the car was too damaged and James had to retire. Esteban finished the race in 8th and score one point. The next race will take place in Valencia at the end of june.

Lotus GP put 2 cars in the top 8 today : Daniel Abt finished 3rd and climb on the podium for the first time of the season. Aaro Vainio takes the points of the 7th place after starting 8th. Conor Daly didn’t finished the race after an horrific crash. His car took off another one at the exit of the tunnel and hit the fences. The American was unhurt. The next race will take place in Valencia at the end of june.

Romain Grosjean qualified in P5 whilst Kimi Räikkönen set the eighth fastest time in qualifying for tomorrow’s Monaco Grand Prix. Romain gains a position on the grid due to a five position penalty for fastest man today, Michael Schumacher. Qualifying was exceptionally close, with all nine cars setting a time within a second of pole in Q3. Kimi Räikkönen, E20-03. Q: P8, 1:15.199 FP3: P12, 1:16.301 “For sure we’re not very happy after that session. Since the first practice we’ve been a little bit behind where we should have been and we’ve been trying to catch-up. The car is fine, the biggest problem today was trying to get the tyres working as it seemed to be a bit tricky to get them up to temperature. I could have been a bit faster on my best lap, but I went a little bit too deep in the swimming pool section. It’s a bit disappointing but you can’t get it right every time. At a normal race track you would be able to gain positions through overtaking, but in Monaco this is difficult. That said, anything can happen here so hopefully we can achieve something good tomorrow.” Romain Grosjean, E20-04. Q: P5, 1:14.639 FP3: P5 1:15.445 (will start from P4) “We are not as high on the grid as we wanted to be, but things were very tight today. I did a very good lap in the first part of Q3 but then I couldn’t improve on my second set of tyres. This was a shame because our strategy was perfect for the last part of qualifying. The traffic wasn’t too bad but I missed out in sector two. I think pole position was within reach. P4 is not exactly where we wanted to be but the race will be long. It’s Monaco, it will be difficult; nonetheless we know that the car is quite good on high fuel and with the tyres, so let’s see what we can do and put the best strategy into place.” Alan Permane, Director of Trackside Operations: “We’ve got it all to do...” How do you assess today’s qualifying performance? “Disappointing. After the pace we saw in the car on Thursday and this morning we expected better. Monaco is a very difficult place to get everything exactly right on a lap and the penalties for making a mistake were seen elsewhere in qualifying, but nevertheless we thought we were a realistic prospect for a front row here so to miss out is a bitter pill to swallow.” What are the strategy considerations for the race? “Overtaking is notoriously difficult here due to the narrow and twisty confines of the track. No matter what the tyre performance or the presence of DRS, KERS or any other factor, a slower car can hold up a faster car for a long time here. Our best opportunity for a strong race result is for Thursday afternoon’s rain to return or for there to be an eventful race to mix up the order.We will of course spend a long time looking at what we can do strategically as the E20 is generally easy on it’s tyres. Also Monaco can often throw up many surprises.so the podium is by no means out of reach” Did missing FP1 affect Kimi’s performance? “We certainly can’t say it helped him. Kimi struggled to get sufficient heat in his tyres today, even with the super soft compound, so he didn’t feel he had sufficient grip to push harder. He needed one more set of super softs than Romain to get into Q3, so consequently had one fewer set than Romain in that session.” Romain has looked very strong so far this weekend; was there more possible in qualifying? “Romain lost out in the second sector on his fastest lap and we will be looking to understand what went wrong. When you look at his times all through the weekend, and consider the track evolution, his qualifying lap was short of what we thought possible. But still, it’s not a bad effort for a first F1 qualifying here.” On the plus side? “We do have both cars in the top ten which is good for our Constructors’ Championship points potential. McLaren in second in the standings ahead of us have one car outside of the top ten so we have scope to do well against them, but equally it’s a very close field.”

Lotus GP scored a new victory in the GP3 Series, courtesy of Aaro Vainio ! The finn, who discovers the streets of Monaco, led the race from start to finish. He's now leading the Championship. Daniel Abt took the points of the 6th place after a strong race while Conor Daly had a difficult day and finished last following a bad start and a penalty for jump start. Race 2 will take place tomorrow afternoon.

Lotus GP had a difficult race today in the GP2 Series. The team scored a few more points thanks to James Calado who brought back his car in P7. Esteban Gutierrez had a contact with the barrier and couldn't finished the race as the car was too damaged. He was classified 23rd. Race 2 is scheduled tomorrow after the F1 qualifying.

Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean took to the track for the first practice sessions on the streets of Monaco in mixed conditions today. A dry and warm morning session was followed by a mixed dry and wet afternoon session. Both drivers used new helmet designs today – images can be downloaded below. Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director - Technical programme notes In FP1 we conducted evaluations of our Monaco setup and gained initial data of Pirelli’s soft compound. Kimi completed just his initial installation lap in FP1 as he found the Monaco steering setup not to be to his liking. FP2 saw lower fuel running than usual, focusing on qualifying specification performance of the soft and super soft compound tyres when the track was sufficiently dry. We also ran with the intermediate tyres on both cars. What we learned today: Our Monaco specification setup works well in both dry and damp conditions. The changed steering setup for Kimi was more to his liking for FP2. Kimi Räikkönen, E20-03 Free practice 1: No time set, installation lap completed Free practice 2: P19, 1:19.267, 25 laps Kimi: “It’s good to be back in Monaco even if we missed some running today. The steering wasn’t to my liking so the team changed it for me. It’s something you change for Monaco and there’s no way of knowing what it will be like beforehand. The car felt good in the second session, though it was obviously pretty slippery when the track was wet. I would have liked to have had more time in the car, but Monaco’s a track I know pretty well and it hasn’t changed much over the years. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.” Romain Grosjean, E20-04 Free practice 1: P2, 1:16.630, 22 laps Free practice 2: P2, 1:16.138, 19 laps Romain: “I think the car is suiting the track pretty well and I love Monaco, it’s good to be here and it’s nice to see so many fans. The car was looking good this morning and this afternoon – we are working in a good direction. Unfortunately it was a bit wet this afternoon and we couldn’t do all the programme we wanted to achieve but as we have a good baseline it shouldn’t be such a big deal. Let’s see what the weather will be like tomorrow and what we can achieve. I think that we are looking good in both conditions.” James Allison, Technical Director: “We’re happy with today’s performance as we came here with a certain amount of trepidation about whether our cars would be competitive. It was a disappointment to have missed the first session whilst we changed the steering setup on Kimi’s car, but he’s an old enough trooper to get himself up to speed on Saturday. The pace shown by Romain in both sessions was certainly encouraging. All the Monaco upgrades seem to be working well and the E20 is pretty happy around what is a very unique track.”