Quali will be very important - Alonso

World Champion Fernando Alonso, the Spanish chouchou, is pleased with his first day of running yesterday. Alonso was fastest during the first free practice session, but he knows the hardest is still to come.

"It was good. The first day at Monaco is all about finding your rhythm, and getting the right line. That meant we did more laps than usual on the first day, and it was useful. I think I have found a good rhythm and by the end of the second session, I was in a good situation."

"We had a good balance on the car. Giancarlo and I were happy with the car from the very first laps this morning, and although we still have some small things to improve, it is already pretty good. We collected a lot of data and that will be useful for Saturday. So for the moment, everything is going well. The car seems quick, and it shows how good R26 really is: Monaco and Barcelona are pretty different circuits!"

"First of all, we will use the final hour of practice to perfect the set-up. Then, we will have to tackle qualifying. That will be the first difficult bit of the weekend. This is a short circuit, and with 22 cars on track, there will be plenty of traffic! In normal conditions, it is already hard enough to get through to the final part of qually, and to get pole. But it will be worse at Monaco. We certainly need to be patient and find the right moment for a clear lap."