MONACO GRAND PRIX PRACTICE
Monte Carlo, Thursday 25th May 2006
Kimi Raikkonen MP4-21 02
Juan Pablo Montoya MP4-21 05
T-car (Juan Pablo) MP4-21 02
Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi
Raikkonen finished today's second free practice in third and
sixth positions respectively with fastest lap times of 1:16.138
and 1:16.707 on the street circuit of Monaco. At the end of
the first practice when Kimi came out for his first lap of
the week a heat shield on his car caught fire and damaged
the wire looming which made the engine switch off. The team
was able to repair the damage and Kimi could take part in
the latter part of the second practice. Today's running also
saw Kimi debuting a new helmet design created especially for
the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix. He will wear this helmet for the
duration of the weekend.
Practice Session One:
Kimi: Juan Pablo:
11.59: 2 laps, best 1:41.698 11.53: 7 laps, best 1:17.458
Practice Session Two:
Kimi Juan Pablo
14.37: 7 laps, best 1:16.857 14.11: 5 laps, best 1:18.025
14.57: 9 laps, best 1:16.707 14.29: 3 laps, best 1:19.853
14.41: 9 laps, best 1:17.437
15.01: 7 laps, best 1:16.138
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA
"A good start to the weekend for us. We seem to be quite
competitive and have definitely made progress but its still
early days and this is Monaco after all where anything can
happen. I completed the planned programme, and the new parts
we have introduced seem to have made a difference. The Michelin
tyres are working well, so overall we are looking good. I
love this track as it's such a challenge and I'm definitely
looking forward to the rest of the weekend."
KIMI RAIKKONEN
"A bit of excitement for me at the end of the first practice.
I went out with less than one minute to go to complete an
installation lap and a practice start. However there was a
small fire which caused some damage – a bit more than
necessary as the Fire Marshalls were hesitant until I took
the fire extinguisher myself. The team did a great job in
making the necessary repairs and I was able to get some running
in half way through the second session. I'm pleased with what
we have achieved so far and we look competitive, but there
is still along way to go."
RON DENNIS
"An eventful first day of practice due to Kimi's problem.
However the team worked really hard and efficiently to rectify
the damage caused by the small fire. This place is unique
and consequently it's too early to draw any conclusions but
we seem to have made progress."
NORBERT HAUG
"The team did a great job today getting Kimi's car repaired
after a small fire had damaged the wiring loom on the last
lap of the first session. The guys managed to send Kimi out
half way through the second session. So we could complete
his planned programme without any further problems. As usual
on Fridays Juan Pablo and Kimi focused on working on the race
set up and their lap times looked OK."
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