Monaco GP: McLaren Thursday practice notes

West McLaren Mercedes drivers Alex Wurz, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen emerged second, fifth and sixth fastest from today's practice sessions for the Monaco Grand Prix. Alex did a time of 1:15.912, Juan Pablo did 1:16.534 whilst Kimi's fastest time was 1:16.558.

Juan Pablo Montoya:

"A positive start to the weekend. The car felt pretty good straight away and we just kept working on the set-up, so I'm pretty happy. The key to doing well here in Monaco is finding a strong set-up, and we are definitely going in the right direction. It will be a tough and interesting race, and I think we are in with a good chance."

Kimi Raikkonen:

"The first session today was a little difficult as I got stuck in traffic several times and could not do a real good lap. However during the second practice session we completed some longer runs and collected a lot of data concerning set-up and tyre choice which should help us to be competitive. It is always fun to drive on this challenging circuit, so I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend."

Alex Wurz:

"I'm very happy with the outcome of today's programme. The continuously changing track conditions during the weekend will not make it easy to work out the right set-up. However I think our race package is good, and we should be able to attack on this difficult circuit and I expect a thrilling race."

Ron Dennis:

"Two trouble free practice sessions for all three drivers with the emphasis on race set-up and Michelin tyre choice. We are comfortable with our performance and look forward to Saturday's qualifying session."

Norbert Haug:

"A good first practice day. We have learnt a lot and our speed looks OK. We mainly focused on race simulations and set up work as well as Michelin tyre choice."

Chassis allocation:
Kimi Raikkonen: MP4-20 04
Juan Pablo Montoya: MP4-20 05
Alex Wurz: MP4-20 03
Spare: MP4-20 06

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