Highlights

Alonso fast in early practices

(AP)
Updated: 2006-05-25 22:39

Formula One champion Fernando Alonso began a bid for his first victory in the Monaco Grand Prix by posting the fastest time in Thursday's opening practice, then added another top time in the afternoon.

Alonso timed 1 minute, 16.712 seconds on the narrow, twisting street circuit in the morning. In the afternoon he clocked 1:16.221.

Test driver Alexander Wurz of McLaren-Mercedes had the top time in the afternoon at 1:15.907.

Usually test drivers are the fastest in the opening practice, but Alonso showed he is determined to gain his first victory on a course where his best finish was a modest fourth last year.

The Spaniard has won three of the six races this season, with two victories for seven-time champion Michael Schumacher and one for Alonso's Renault teammate Giancarlo Fisichella.

Fisichella was third in 1:16.888, just behind test driver Anthony Davidson in a Honda clocking 1:16.872 in the morning

For a long time, Davidson had the fastest time in the second practice _ 1:16.075 _ but damaged a tire cutting a wall too tight midway through the session.

Juan Pablo Montoya of McLaren-Mercedes had 1:16.138 for third in the afternoon just ahead of Alonso.

Kimi Raikkonen, after morning problems, turned 1:16.707 in the afternoon.

Raikkonen, who is hoping to pull off a double, ran just three laps in the first session and came out of the tunnel with his engine smoking. He was forced out of practice with a heat shield problem with his McLaren-Mercedes.

Team will try to salvage the car to avoid an engine change that would put Raikkonen back 10 spots on the starting grid. They will have an extra day to work on it.

Thursday's first practice on the traditional Ascension Day holiday will be followed by a day off on Friday. Another practice and qualifying are set for Saturday. Sunday's race _ 78 laps _ begins a few hours before the Indy 500.

A victory at the Monaco Grand Prix would be Raikkonen's second straight in Formula One's most prestigious race, an apt way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the McLaren team's first race in F1.

No driver has won two in a row here since Michael Schumacher did it in 1994 and 1995.

Alonso has a solid lead in this season's standings, 54-39 over Schumacher and the pair have taken the first two places in the last three races.

Schumacher has not won at Monte Carlo since 2001 and remains stuck on five victories. He was fourth in the first practice at 1:16.973 and was down in 15th in the second practice as Ferrari experimented with race settings.

A sixth win here for Schumacher would match the late Ayrton Senna. But to do it, Schumacher will have to overcome a string of bad luck.

Seventh last year, in 2004 Schumacher was involved in a crash with Juan Pablo Montoya. He finished third in 2003, which came in the middle of four wins over five races. He had a four-race victory streak stopped in 2002.

Schumacher on Thursday wore a new racing uniform with "SCHUMI" written on the back and a bit of yellow to contrast with the traditional red Ferrari uniform.

He is expected to return to his more conventional suit.