Driver Reaction - Monaco Practice..(Formula 1 Racing)

Mark Webber: "It was not easy for us,
as for all the teams today, and we've got some work to do in the next 24
hours. There are clearly some very quick cars and we need to see where
we can improve. Obviously it was limited running for everyone, so we
didn't do as much as we would have liked; but that's how it went today
and Monaco's like that - it throws up some challenges. The track's quite
inconsistent in terms of grip - but we did learn some things today."
Sebastian Vettel: "We didn't learn too
much from today due to the conditions. It wasn't ideal as this morning
we had a red flag and then it rained this afternoon; as a result it's
hard to say where we are. We didn't have a lot of grip due to the rain,
it was very slippery on track and there were a lot of cars out at the
same time - but it was the same for everyone. The weather can change
quickly here and now you see there is sunshine again already."

Fernando Alonso: "For we drivers,
Thursday in Monaco provides the best opportunity to reacquaint ourselves
with a very unique track. The more you go round, the more you gain
confidence and the harder you can push to bring the lap time down. This
morning, we were able to get through our planned programme without any
trouble, but in the afternoon, the rain came to spoil our plans and
those of the others too."We weren't able to even fit the Supersoft and only Button was able
to find the right window to make the most of the Option, which is how he
set the fastest time.
Felipe Massa: "We weren't able to do
as much running as we would have liked because of the light rain that
fell this afternoon, but all the same, I am happy with the way things
went on this Monaco Thursday. The car seemed to me to be okay right from
the start of the first session, with a good balance in all conditions
and with slightly better traction than we had expected. Even when we ran
the Intermediates in the final part of the second session, the feeling
was still positive.
Michael Schumacher: "It's always great
to get out on the track for the first laps in Monaco and get back into
the rhythm of this special place. Already, during practice this morning I
could see the areas where the safety has been improved further since
last year, and it's great that the organisers always push to make things
even better every year. The weather was mixed today, which made it hard
to make any firm conclusions, but basically my feeling with the car on
this circuit was positive."
Jenson Button: "The most important
job today was to try and get a decent high-fuel long-run on the
Supersoft tyre - which I don't think anyone managed. We've got to see
how the tyre works because its performance will play a considerable role
in the race.

"Still, it was nice to briefly stick that tyre on and see how much
grip it has - that gives you a bit of information to look over before
Saturday, even though we'll still get to run that compound again before
qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton:"We didn't get to
learn quite as much as we'd perhaps wanted to today. The weather was
clear in the morning, but was quite difficult to dial-in the car because
of the changing weather conditions we got this afternoon, compounded by
the traffic as usual here. It's an incredibly tough circuit, very
technical, so every little scrap of information helps you understand
where to go with the set-up.

"The less running you get, the tougher it becomes to understand the
behaviour of the tyres. Today, neither of us got to do a long-run, so
we'll be going into the race slightly unsure about how the tyres will
behave. But everyone is in the same boat so I guess it'll be a bit of a
surprise for all the teams.

"Nonetheless, it's still mega-fun out there; it feels incredible driving this track."


Kimi Raikkonen: "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."
Pastor Maldonado: "The car is feeling
really good this year and looks competitive in the running we have done
today, so we're happy with that. It's a shame we didn't get to run as
much during the afternoon, as we would have liked to have gathered a bit
more data on the tyres but we still have P3 on Saturday. I love this
circuit and think it's going to be a competitive Grand Prix."