The Monaco Grand Prix - Qualifying Highlights Formula 1

concentration, people are right on the edge of the race. The chances of

finishing a very remote. It is the most beautiful thing that can

happen. Monaco is unique, with its spectacular circuit around Monte

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds

the 60th world championship Formula one Grand Prix in Monaco. Partying

is the rigour and glamour is absolutely essential, which is why

taking us through the session today is Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard.

She is very keen on the glamour and that is what we have got. It any

sporting calendar, this is the pinnacle. No other sport can touch

it. It is where everything happens. When you pack coming here come you

make sure your best gear is in the suitcase. And you may have seen him

playing on the boat. How many gigs did you played last night? I did

play too, I am very proud of it. same songs, I think. David, how much

importance on with putting on qualifying in terms of the result of

the race tomorrow. ? Qualifying is always important in Monaco, the

tyres, like we have been repeating, isn't going to go away with that

issue. We have seen a few drops of rain, which may turn qualifying on

its head. There has been a lot of news this weekend, here is Lee

McKenzie to take you through it. Red Bull have won the Monaco Grand

Prix the last three years, with Mark Webber victorious in 2010 and 2012.

He is hoping to add 2013 to the list and join an elite group of triple

Monaco winners. I think we have a very good chance to win. Mercedes

will be strong. They have got good form, it is a nice card for them to

have. But the race is always long for them and for most people, so we

will see how it unfolds. As Mark Webber says, Lewis Hamilton's

Mercedes has been strong on Saturdays but left the driver

frustrated on race days. Lewis hopes this weekend will be different.

were on such a high from the first few races, plus we were on the front

row, so I expected that the last race, so I was a bit shocked but we

move forward and look forward to the next one. Jenson Button is looking

forward to his McLaren team working with Honda from 2015. Mercedes.

Providing engine to the team from the end of next season. But spent

most of his career with the Japanese manufacturer. To have such a big

manufacturer like Honda coming is great for the future of Formula one.

A lot of it is then to the new style of engines that are coming out, it

is exciting for manufacturers, not just being a petrol powered engine,

you have got the hybrid system and turbo, and I think that is the big

reason we are going to see more big engines coming to Formula one.

Chilton has a good record at this circuit and is relishing his first

race at Monaco. It is a very special moment, the first time I raised was

last year in GP to, I was in the podium --I raced. But being in the

Grand Prix was a little bit different. I can't wait until Sunday

and those lights going out and doing something I had dreamt all my life

will stop Romain Grosjean got things spectacularly wrong in free practice

to. Taking advantage of the first F F1 car in the barriers this year.

Something was not right. We have a very good car, but it was not a

perfect corner. So that mistake from Romain Grosjean

on Thursday and you can just about tell, the heavens are opening and it

is starting to rain. But this morning, in the final free practice

session, towards the end of the session, towards the end of the

session, it got extremely intense. Let's take you through the

incidents. Let's start with Felipe Massa. This is across the start

finish line, he had the brakes and there is a massive lock-up. The

barrier comes out to meet you and a big impact. No damage to Felipe

Massa, but damage to the car. He gives them into the corner, straight

into the barrier. A lot of people speculating it was Carpathia but the

team have confirmed it was driver error. -- car failure. That will

impact on the team, Eddie, surely, going into the session?

catastrophic. We have to reflect back to 2010, Fernando Alonso did

not make a time, didn't qualify and still finished in sixth. They say it

is impossible to pass here, but the really good ones now a way around.

Psychologically, when something like that happens to you, how would it

affect your confidence? It does around this racetrack. Any other

circuit come you take it as one of those things, but here, you need to

get your eye in. In qualifying, when it was dry come you need to know

what the vision was like but now, there is a reasonable chance of

having wet qualifying. And I am going to have a wet head, because I

can't reach under your umbrella. This was Adrian Sutil. This was just

a loss of grip as he goes over Casino Square. He corrected and then

over corrected. Here we see Romain Grosjean going to early into the

Chicane. He has been showing good speed, but clumsy. That was Lewis

Hamilton on the left-hand side coming he gets a little bit

unsighted and turns into aggressive way, already on a one-way ticket to

the barrier as the rear slides and he drifts out wide. I am intrigued

by Romain Grosjean. Any time we see him having a mistake or a crash, it

seems to be peripheral vision, as if something uncharacteristic has

caught his eye and he has momentarily taken his braking area

away, or has been distracted. Is that possible? I think it is a good

point. I'm sure you have employed drivers with great speed but can't

keep it together. Sadly for Romain Grosjean, those mistakes of last

year are coming through. Of all of the tracks, is this one different

for concentration for the drivers? Definitely, your senses are attacked

all the time, the barriers are there, white lines and bombs. The

cars are quick, but he is pushing too hard too early. -- bumps.

first car we saw this morning was Nico Rosberg, but it wasn't

perfect. This is around Portier, of the big curve, touches the Barra,

barrier, but no damage. You would hardly find a straight wheel on a

car after a race here as a team owner, so you need abundances of

wheels. But it doesn't detract from the spectacle. The drivers are still

able to get the car around. Talking about the teams, they have had an

enormous amount of work to do in between these two sessions. Let's

get the latest from Tom Clarkson. I am outside the Ferrari garage and

behind the closed door, all four corners Felipe Massa 's are being

replaced, plus the gearbox. It is pretty chaotic in there. You have

Fernando Alonso's mechanics helping out, Stefano Domenicali has been

coming in and helping, so it looks like they will not be ready for the

start of the session. Pretty anxious then here. Less and in the pit lane.

Romain Grosjean's car has had three corners replaced Dash less thanks.

It is the same with Adrian Sutil, he has had the right hand side of his

car replaced, but it will be ready for the session. Well, it looks as

though they might all just about make it, but it is going to be

tight. Ferrari is probably closest to the market, but then you see the

full effect of teamwork. You have a's people helping Felipe Massa bash

you have Fernando Alonso's people helping. They are willing on their

competitor -- you have an under Alonzo's people helping Felipe

Massa. Confidence going into the session, and now the rain as well,

it at the anti-bribery single team. It has been going on this morning,

well, it is Monaco. Dash -- it ups So with Monaco being round six of

19, we already one third through the season. If you fancy getting up

close and personal with the paddock, there are still tickets left for the

British Grand Prix. Silberstein headlines in five weeks' time.

Currently, Red Bull's Sebastien Vettel homes onto the top placing,

with Kimi Raikkonen just four points adrift. Fernando Alonso's victory in

Barcelona leaves them in third. In terms of the constructors

championship, the same three manufacturers, but in a slightly

different configuration. So Kimi Raikkonen, four points off the lead,

and his "I know what I am doing" attitude has been a huge hit with

fans. He feeds off adrenaline, four wheels, two wheels, skis, boats, you

name it, he has raced them. And only one man pulls his strings, and that

is him. It is not the save the sport. You

can get hurt easily bash the safest sport -- the safest board. You can

fall down the stairs, you cannot say come you cannot do this because you

can get hurt and stay at home. That is not the way to live your life.

wonder if you weren't allowed to do that, would you go nuts at home?

Probably. It is too late to say I What is your take on that as a team

manager? We have a position, obviously. As a team, we understand

that Kimi likes all of these activities. Just the name Kimi

itself is a myth. Last year, you raced with a James Hunt helmet here.

You have a fascination with James Hunt. You use him as a pseudonym to

enter various sporting events. What is it about James that you can

identify with? I don't know. I think it is more kind of that age of

drivers and the racing from the 1970s and early. It was completely

different, because there was not so much money involved and not big

manufacturers and big sponsors, so it was a bit more relaxed and there

was more danger, and of course, that makes it more interesting in a way.

This weekend, the Monaco Grand Prix. You have won it before, it is a

special race. How tough is it on concentration as a driver?

cannot push the limit as much. On other circuits, if you lock the

wheel, you lose one corner and you go off and you come back. Around

here, you lose the session and qualifying and the race. As Kimi

said, you cannot make any mistake. You cannot allow yourself a mistake

in traffic, because for the team it is a headache, with strategy, but it

is an amazing race. Thank you for your time, it has been great talking

to you both and we wish you the best for the weekend.

David, he is enigmatic, isn't he measure marquee is so softly spoken

and clearly a riot out of hours -- isn't he? He likes to do other

things outside of Formula One and he doesn't buy into the other

commercial activities that other drivers would embrace and say, that

is what they get paid for. The bottom line is he is fast. And he's

doing it all right, isn't he measure marquees sensational and he's doing

it without the pressure. -- and he is doing all right, isn't he? Kimi

is doing an unbelievable job under the radar, and I expect he will be

right there come the end of the season. Let's see what he can do out

on track with the rest of the field. The most demanding, the most intense

qualifying session of the year begins on the two mile 3. 3

kilometre street circuit at the foot of a cliff and bordering the

Mediterranean, and just to add to the challenge, it is damp, slippery,

the car cars are just tentatively exiting the pit lane as they go on

to the first lap. Unlike many qualifying session, we are seeing a

Hes of cars going straight on the track. If you were running a team,

is this what you would be doing Gary? You have to get out now and

put in a lap to get on the board, get a time in, because the

conditions can change. This is banker country, it is like the Stock

Market. The Stock Market goes up and down, conditions can get better or

worse, you have to take a gamble. The rain is coming down more

heavily. That is partly why we are seeing them go out. The track has

been bone dry up until this point. We haven't seen any rain. What is it

going to be like out there The white line, you can see the first

incident. It is the Marussia. It is Jules Bianchi. He lives down the

road and yet he has something, it has gone wrong for him straight

away. That is a bit of an odd one. We will look at that in a moment.

Drama, this is Monaco, and this is what we expect to see throughout the

session. Yes, a mechanical problem, I am sure. There is a crane, so they

should be able to lift him over the barrier, just get out, watch the

white line, they are slippy. You don't want to get on them. Zebra

crossings, a lot of white, learning about the track, learning where the

slippy parts are and going for a decent lap. There is Jules Bianchi

walking away from his stricken Marussia, what a disappointing way,

race day will be 45 years since his grand uncle took his only ever

podium in Formula One, so it is in the family to run at Monaco, in the

Grand Prix, but that was a bad start. Onboard with Jenson Button.

He has no rear temperature at all. Look at that wheel spinning in

fourth gear, so again, I wouldn't be surprised Ben, if we see someone

looking to put a full wet on, to get the confidence of the tyre will rip

to pieces, with that single lap. has gone faster on this initial run.

It could be important. Let us see what Mark Webber does, he goes

faster, 1. 36. 529. The last part of last year's race, he was leading the

race and has to Jung the conditions, he has Juned them well so far --

judged the conditions well. Cars are getting out of the way.

Hamilton is getting out of the way of Rosberg. That That will always be

the case. All cars on track apart from Bianchi. You have more time in

this session, 20 minutes of course, to try and find that clear lap, but

it just gets so frustrating, the engineers will be be talking to the

drivers. So there is Hamilton, just trying to pick his own little bit of

space, as well. Rosberg has dropped back. Vettel is now third. Pic is up

in fourth place. Let us get down to the pits. Williams will take a lot

of heart from seeing both drivers in the top ten at the moment, because

they seemed lost during practise, they tried last year's front wing on

the FW 35. They told me they have reverted back to this year's front

wing for the session, and any Aero problems they might have will be

negated because of this weather. We will see the good mechanical grip

that car has, Pastor Maldonado is a special lest round here. Alonso is

going well. He has gone fastest in the first sector. But Paul di Resta

has gone quickest. He has done a 35. 46. So the forces for driver

quickest. 1. 35. 7. We are about 20 seconds away from what they would do

in the dry. Let us see if it is enough. Alonso, he goes fastest, his

last pole position was in the wet as well. Felipe Massa watches as his

car is being prepared -- repaired. Neither he nor Grosjean have been

out on to the circuit. Let us keep an eye on the Red Bulls Hamilton has

gone quickest. Let us see how that time is going to play out if he gets

a clear lap. He is, he is very close as Verne goes fastest of all. In the

next ten seconds we will see what the opening lap time from that

Mercedes is. Hamilton goes fastest, 1. 32. 09. Jean-Eric Vergne is

currently second. Alonso third, Perez fourth. It is going to get

better, in theory as long as the rain doesn't fall any heavier and

Sebastian Vettel trying to do something, he has the fastest first

sector. It looks as if the rain has eased off to me, so this session

will just get quick e the drivers' confidence will grow and with the

drying track, we will see the times tumble.

So has he eased? I wonder if they have any chance of getting on a

different tyre? I doubt it. Looking at the lap times, still a long way

from a dry weather time. Vettel is on a fast lap. Sebastian Vettel goes

fastest, still early stages of Q1. Remember, it is all about the bottom

six cars, in this session, that will be dropped from qualifying and not

make it through to Q2. Still early stage of this session, at the moment

in that drop zone, Pic, Rosberg on a lap now, then we have Max Chilton,

Jules Bianchi we know is going to be the drop zone, Massa and Grosjean

are waiting for their cars to be ready. Guess who is fastest in the

middle section? Pastor Maldonado in the William, he is a Monaco

specialist is Pastor Maldonado, he has just gone fastest. Pastor

Maldonado has gone fastest of all, he loves this track. That is an

impressive lap. 1. 3 seconds quirk than Vettel. But track conditions

are improving considerably, so let us expect that time to fall further.

It has to be said Maldonado has been looking good. Rosberg has been

getting traffic on his laps. Let us see Hamilton. He is on a good lap.

So Lewis Hamilton has the fastest mid sector. Jean-Eric Vergne is on a

fast lap. And that is Sutil. Rosberg being told he needs a lap.

Sutille's car is repair and he is out there. But Hamilton, think it

was Ricciardo, but he has gone fastest, Vergne, second, Perez,

second, no di Resta is fastest, it is changing every moment here and

Paul di Resta is maintaining a good performance. Let us see what Mark

Webber can do. Rosberg still waiting to put a lap in. Button has done a

good lap. Webber goes fastest. It is Webber at the top of the times.

Coming through at high speed you can see the track there dry. Mark Webber

describing five, six, seven eight, so at the top of the circuit, and

they are struggling with the damp track. They have had a few laps here

so what that does is remove some of the gauge, the tread depth of the

tyres. Maldonado goes faster. for long? Sebastian Vettel takes it

back by 1. 4 seconds, that is a brilliant lap by Sebastian Vettel.

Now Alonso goes second, but 1. 1 slower. Just goes to show Vettel was

quick in the wet in Australia, he was on pole position in Malaysia

when we had that damp Q3 and he has been showing that wet weather pace

effectively This is a good thing for the intermediate, many are on the

sixth or seventh lap or more. It cures the tyre. You can see how damp

it is, so with only six, six minutes and 40 seconds to go, maybe someone

gets brave and sticks a set of slicks on at the end. Rosberg is

fastest in the first sector, di Resta is also going quickly again,

Paul di Resta who lives in here in Monaco, is one of the six drivers to

live here in Monaco, and he is going very well. Well. Rosberg lives here,

he was borough to school here he has spent the vast majority of his life

in Monaco, it is his home town, and he has been looking fantastic

throughout the dry practise session, and he is looking fast again here.

Let us see whether this is going to be enough to go ahead of Vettel.

Rosberg goes fastest again. So Nico Rosberg goes fastest. The bottom six

we need to keep an eye on. Hamilton is down there at the moment. So is

Giedo van der Garde. Keep pushing. There is no point, the rears are

going. That was interesting. Button told to keep pushing but he said

there is no point. As a McLaren it is Perez who has put a new set of

intermediates on. McLaren sticking with the inters. So far, good,

because his first sector is faster than anyone else at this point, so

slipping and sliding is all part of getting a car round here quickly,

look at the dry line, beginning to develop. Through the dry tunnel.

This is the longest flat out section on the circuit, then the tricky

braking over the bumps, down into the chicane. That was good from

Hamilton. Really tidy, now he can breathe as he approaches Tabac, look

at the white lines and parking space, getting dry now. He is well

up on the time. He is a second faster on that second split. Rosberg

fastest from Vettel but Vettel has been in the pits and put another set

of tyres on. We will see what Rosberg can do. These intermediates

of Rosberg have done some nine lap, so these are quite worn

intermediatiates. Let us see what the lap time is like. Hamilton goes

fastest. 1. 23. 799. That was on a new set of intermediates. That is

good for hip. Grosjean has gone out on circuit, but no sign of Felipe

Massa being able to get out on track in the Ferrari.

Watch Watching Hamilton at the moment. There is Kimi Raikkonenment

I don't think Massa is going to get out. It is all over for him. Let us

watch Kimi Raikkonen. He needs to drag himself up that order. Down in

15th place. He is on those intermediate tyres and on a new set.

So they had to use another set. Let us see where this puts him. He goes

fifth. That should be safe new for now. He can concentrate on Q2. In

the drop zone. Nico Hulkenberg in the Sauber. Giedo van der Garde in

the Caterham. Max Chilton for Marussia, the only one that is

running in this session. Bianchi is no longer running, Grosjean is on

track, he has a chance to get out of the drop zone and mast is not in the

-- Massa is not in his Ferrari. Nico Hulkenberg is up there now. He is in

fifth. He is well out of the drop zone. That drops Charles Pic down

into 17th place. They stopped the work on the Ferrari, so Massa is not

going to get out in this session. He goes fast -- fast faster Grosjean

has crashed three times and he has just got quickest in Q1. Around of

applause from the mechanic, that shows they have been able to build

their car under pressure, in a way that gave him the confidence to

drive a clean lap. Brilliant stuff. Sutil who had crash this morning, he

is in the drop zone. Is this enough? He is usually good in slippery

condition, he has gone across the line with another chance, he has

beaten the chequered flag, he better do it on this lap. He is in the drop

zone, along with Esteban Gutierrez. Jean-Eric Vergne is there as well.

Whether they have changed tyres on eVergne's car. Den -- Vergne's car.

Pastor Maldonado has gone fastest, to Pastor Maldonado tops the times

as the track continues to dry, we are now about ten seconds off a dry

weather pace, still not good enough, I wouldn't have thought for slicks

but it does mean the second part of qualifying, they may have that

chance, chequered flag comes out, so if you are o a lap great, if you are

not, you will have to sit and wait to see what the others do. How is it

looking for Sutil? Not a brilliant first sector He has been tentative.

You can see some graining on the left and right rear of that Force

India You have one more timed lap. Doesn't help, I have no traction he

says. Sutil doing enough here, to get into the top 16. But Raikkonen

is not that safe. Raikkonen with 2. 3 seconds off the pace. Sutil will

move up. He goes to 12th. That pushes di Resta down, di Resta

is on a lap currently. Not a good lap though. 40. 9 middle sectors, he

has had a problem or traffic. a bit of a slide down inthere.

at the graining. Paul unfortunately won't make it through as far as I

can see. Let us look? Is it enough? He crosses the line. Di Resta who

was fastest in this session at one point is out of Q1. That is hugely

dramatic, he has been so consistency. He scored points every

time except for the one non-finish and he is out. At his home, it is

his home race, he lives here now, but di Resta is out. Charles Pic is

out. Esteban Gutierrez. Esteban Gutierrez, who seemed to be quick in

the damp conditions earlier this year, he is out in the Sauber. Max

Chilton is out and of course no surprise, that Jules Bianchi and

Felipe Massa, neither of them able to get a lap in. They are both out

but Grosjean, what a great effort and what a salute to his team to end

up fourth fastest after that car was rebuilt this morning. Maldonado

ended up fastest, the Williams team which has scored no points this year

has set the pace in the start of qualifying. Can he continue that in

Q2 and Q3? At the moment, those at Paul di Resta, Charles Pique,

Esteban Gutierrez, Max Chilton, Bianchi and Felipe Massa. But Valder

guard has made it into Q2 the first time.

Eddie, drama, but the Williams boys doing the team proud. You are spot

on, drama throughout the session but nobody would expect the Williams to

do what they did, both of them getting through, and two top the

timing list. And the Caterham will be thrilled with that, won't they?

Tony Fernandez, the team owner, and to see him make it into QT, Q2, that

is fantastic. And this is Paul di Resta, listen to this. Macro radio

that was a mess, I apologise. -- TEAM RADIO: That was a mess, I

apologise. Paul, what was the problem? I think

we just failed to read the track and didn't get a fresh set of tyres, and

it was too late when we realise. Overall, we were very strong and

that was what perhaps influenced the decision to stay. We had to be

saved, that was the whole plan, given that Felipe Massa wasn't going

to run the whole of the session and a silly mistake has cost is probably

the most usual qualifying session of the season so far.

Absolutely not what Paul wanted at all. He lives here and he is so good

and the last couple of races have been phenomenal for him, gathering

points. It doesn't mean it is all dead tomorrow but it is a bigger

job, to get through the traffic will be a huge task, but he can do it.

The second part of qualifying is already underway, cars making their

way out of the pit lane where heavy drops of rain are beginning to fall.

Gary, it is one of those once the tacticians, it will be tough to

call. Yes, for sure. When that session finished, it was dry weather

time, to be honest, they were nine seconds off the pace. But the rain

came again in the break, so it is back out on intermediate tyres and

it is the same thing again, the last man standing will do a lap time. You

can see them slipping and sliding into the chicane and little bit.

Nico Rosberg trying to change the brake balance or something, I'm not

sure. Will we see quick laps at the beginning or the end of this

session? The weather is changing again, the rain at the moment is

quite heavy, so I think it will be the best lap time, but if the rain

does stop, it will start to come down again. At the end of that last

session, nine seconds of, dry weather time. And they have do look

at for the intermediate tyres, a few of them have used a couple of sets.

Yes, you have four sets for the weekend, that is it, so you have to

respect them. The next session could be damp as well, so you have to keep

a set for that. TEAM RADIO: I just need a good lap

here, just a nice sensible lap. It looks like the rain is going to

continue. Yes, I think most of these guys will

have gone out for the used tyres -- on the used tyres. Top ten is

important but maybe just as fast as the top ten. Nico Rosberg told to

get a sensible lap in and he is really wide through Loews hairpin,

but he may find a little bit of grip off-line. Just trying to keep it

sensible. He tapped the barrier here this morning in the dry, when he set

the fastest lap, a scintillating lap that he set this morning, but it is

now a very different feel the track as heads into chicane. He had a big

crash here a few years ago. He has the right to slap off, really.

is his out lap, with the rain coming down, constantly changing

conditions. We have Mark Webber coming out of the chicane. That is

his team mate Sebastien Vettel behind Ricciardo, so he is just

trying to find a bit of space. You don't want any distractions other

than the road conditions themselves. He is fastest in the first and

second sectors on this first flying lap, Mark Webber. Sebastien Vettel

is slipping and sliding around. Runs it's not quite as much to the curb

as he would in the dry, because those painted sections are fast.

TEAM RADIO: We have a new set ready, you will get them soon. Just do the

best job you can and you will get these soon. So there you are,

confirmation about what Gary was talking about, a used set-up

intermediate tyres for the first part of qualifying and hopefully a

new set of tyres for the second part, but save some for the final

part of qualifying. Sergio Perez, the young Mexican who set the

fastest lap in the dry lashed year when he was driving for sober. Had a

crash in qualifying, in fact he has crashed in both qualifying sessions

in Monaco he has done, but one wasn't his fault, it was a steering

failure last year and a big accident the year before. Just coming out of

the final turn. Jenson Button has gone fastest. Sergio Perez crosses

the line and beats him. So McLaren one and two at the moment. Tom, what

have you got in the pit lane? wanted to comment on the amount of

rain I am feeling in the pit lane, very similar to where we were at the

start of Q1, but what is interesting is I am looking out to sea, where

the weather is coming from, and I am looking at blue sky, so it looks

like it will dry up the rest of this qualifying session, so will we see

some slick tyre runs in Q3. Burke has gone fastest, he got the

lap he needed. -- Nico Rosberg has gone fastest. Peres is continuing on

his run. Massive amounts of rear sliding as he comes through the

high-speed swimming pool section, coming into latter as cows. That is

Adrian Sutil, it shouldn't affect the feature Nico Hulkenberg. These

are relative in you intermediate tyres, but he may well be saving a

new set of the last part of this session -- relatively new. That will

give the Sauber guys a bit of a boost. But things can change, as we

saw in the last session so quickly. Remember, this is all about the top

ten you are trying to get into. Raikkonen gets 27.4. The car wasn't

good in the wet earlier this year, but they feel they have improved it.

Here is Grosjean, he is fastest of all. Romain Grosjean does it again

in this rebuilt car. He goes fastest for the moment, just under nine

minutes to go. I think the conditions are drying up, the rain

has dropped off, so we will see a rapid drop in the actual lap times

and see a nice dry line all around the old Loews hairpin. Again, coming

through Portier, it is looking pretty dry. So maybe the rain we saw

at the beginning of the session was at this end of the circuit. Kimi

Raikkonen comes down towards the chicane, a former winner of this

Monaco Grand Prix, when he was driving for McLaren. A dominant win

in 2005, but a little while ago now. He didn't have a great run here last

year, but he wants to keep the pressure on Gilles Simon in the

championship. He is second in the points at the moment that he do

pressure on Sebastien Vettel in the championship. -- keep the pressure

on. We'll just wait and see whether Kimi Raikkonen can continue to

improve. He is in fifth at the moment, his team-mate Grosjean is

fastest but Raikkonen goes fastest at all. New intermediate tyres

getting fitted for new of the cars. Jenson Button, it is difficult to

keep up. It is, Jenson Button is now fastest. Every time a new car

crosses the line. That will give McLaren a boost, but whether it will

be converted into a dry weather pays... On board with Sebastien

Vettel, what is he doing? Through tobacco, on the entry to And Paul --

Swimming Pool. If you were in the car, would you be asking the teams

to be looking at slick tyres or just new intermediate? You have to have

an open mind. Nico Rosberg is fastest of all. Macro radio would

you like new dry tyres that TEAM RADIO: Would you like new dry tyres?

Does he have time to coming? He does if he does a flying lap. We

can see from the commentary box he has pulled in for a new set of

supersoft tyres. Let's expect Fernando Alonso to react in the same

way. That was Nico Rosberg just going out, both of the Mercedes are

going out on the supersoft now. Fernando Alonso is upon time on the

intermediate tyre. Does he finished the lab will come into the pits? He

has come in. -- that he finished the lap or come into the pits? It seemed

like a late call, Mark Webber when fastest of all in that last session,

that puts him second. The supersoft are going on. Nicely warmed up in

that fire blankets, but can he maintain that temperature on the add

-- the ad lap? Mark Webber has just gone fastest in the first sector on

his supersoft tyres. 21.3. That is a pretty good sign that they might

have got it right. Unquestionably they have got it right. No more rain

at the moment and he has done much time on the slick tyre. Let's see

what he can do, he goes sixth in the Caterham, he would love to hold on

to that, the first time to get a Caterham in the top ten, but I don't

think it is going to happen, because so many others have made that

switch. That is bot us. -- boaters. Just imagine if there is an accident

and the session just stopped, that would put the cat amongst the

pigeons, because it would be difficult to get a lapping at that

point. Fernando Alonso has missed the chicane. But time will not

count, so he will have to go around to start another timed lap. He is in

the drop zone at the moment, with Hulkenberg, Raikkonen, Adrian Sutil

and Fernando Alonso. Just experimenting with whether braking

zone is, trying to get as much heat in the tyres as possible. -- with

where the braking zone is. Into Sante devoted, lovely through there,

climbed the hill at Sainte Devote. Up the fashion shops on the

left-hand side. Past the Hotel De Paris, into Casino Square.

Concentration edged into the faces of the four robbery mechanics as

much as on Fernando Alonso's phase. -- before Rory mechanics as much as

on Fernando Alonzo 's phase. Romain Grosjean has gone quickest of all.

Kimi Raikkonen is in the drop zone. These times are three point --

slower than we saw this morning, who will be the one who doesn't make it

through. Who will get the chequered flag first? Raikkonen is going to be

OK, he will get another lap in. Sebastien Vettel, there will be? As

to whether he will get another one in, but we will wait and see. He

crosses the line with 27 seconds ago, Raikkonen, and he is

second-fastest. TEAM RADIO: This is the lap that

plan. Where does Fernando Alonso go? He is in sixth, he is going to hope

that will be enough. The chequered flag is not quite out. There is

Sutil, he is only 11. I think Jenson Button will be the last man to get

across the line. Can he get there? Did he make it? But unjust across,

yes, the last one to make it. He has got through. Van der Garde is the

first want to see the chequered flag. -- first one. I am afraid the

Caterham great dream of getting in the top ten for the first time isn't

going to happen. Let's see what Hulkenberg can do, he is currently

16. He crosses the line and goes into sixth. But Fernando Alonso is

being pushed down the order. Grosjean is out, he has seen the

chequered flag. Van der Garde, Maldonado has also seen the

chequered flag, Sebastien Vettel has gone fastest. There he is, Sebastien

Vettel faster than Nico Rosberg, but Fernando Alonso, we are waiting for

him to come around, because... Has he competed the lap? -- completed

the lap? Can he get out of the drop zone? Yes, he does it. Last gap and

it pushes Daniel Ricciardo into 11th place. Grosjean is definitely out,

so is van der Garde. Sutil has gone into sixth, and that has pushed

Hulkenberg down. Good effort from Sutil. He crashed here on this part

of the track this morning and he has gone six. And of course, di Resta

went out in the first part of qualifying. Hulkenberg is out, Ben

Ricciardo, Grosjean, van der Garde is out, and amazingly, Pastor

Maldonado. That is a shocker. all happening in that session,

wasn't it. Eddie. Defence drama from the word go. The man talking up the

high heights was Grosjean having crashed three time, his luck ran out

an he didn't make it through to the finish. He has been talking to Lee.

The guys did get the car back out on track but you were out in Q2.

team. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Three minutes to the end of Q1 we

were not ready to go. They gave everything they had. Unbelievable. I

think we had the car to do something very God, but Monaco is traffic is

part of Monaco, and this is it. came out after a very difficult

morning, and then you went fastest straight away. You must have

confidence in the car. What happened in Q2? Traffic in the last lap. It

was getting drier and drier, the second one, the car in front of me,

I spoke with him but he didn't see me. So the race is gone when you

only get two laps. For a second I thought that Caterham were going to

get Giedo van der Garde into Q3 looked as if they had won the race!

It was a Titanic job. What he achieved. You have to remember this

is a team emerging, so this is a good sign for the future and Giedo

van der Garde, really, he was a surprise because the four guys at

the back, he was the one you would least expect to be up there. It is

time new for Q3. The final part of qualifying to

determine the top ten positions on the grid is just about to get under

way here in Monaco. The groen light comes on. We are on super-soft slick

tyres, onboard with Kimi Raikkonen, that seems to be the choice for most

of the teams as they come back out. Gary, how can we predict what lap

time we will see for pole position? They are changing but we have down

to the 1. 15 so it was coming pretty good. By the end of this session we

will see as good lap time session as ever. Rosberg did a 1. 37. I am not

sure we will nip into the 13s but we will see low ones at 14. That was an

amazing second part of qualifying. It was tough to call it You have to

be there at the right time. I thought people were leaving it too

late to get on the dry weather tyre, but they did pull it off. The mix is

still the same. There is two Red Bull, two McLarens in there, two

Mercedes, so, you know, one Ferrari, so I think pole position will be a

justified pole position today. think you are right. We will see a

fantastic battle all the way through. Tom, you getting any more

rain down in pit lane? There are a few spits of rain, but that blue sky

is edging closer, so I don't think it will last long, but people are

unsure down here. We have virtually all of the top ten out, trying to

get that banker in. Let us see what happens. We are watching Kimi

Raikkonen, he is the first to to cross the line. His team-mate

crashed there this morning and Thursday. Kimi keeping it neat and

tidy for the moment as he climbs up the hill and through the long

left-hander. Then this change of camber, through casino square,

losing the camber, the positive camber, goes to negative. He is

taking it carefully here, in term of how he uses the road Exploring, to

make sure he has his eye in, and he will know that providing it doesn't

come and drizzle any more, that he will be able to unleash a lap time

on his super-softs later in the session. He does need to get on with

it though, but sometimes having a bit of a -- safety margin is the

wise thing to do. He has shown he is Mr Consistency in his performance

over the past year. He has a tremendous record of pointing

finishing, trying to beat the all time record which is achievable, but

Webber is fastest on the first sector of all of the cars out there.

Hamilton was quick in that first sectors and so was Alonso. Kimi not

quite as quick, I don't think, on this lap as some of those behind

him. He may build up to it. Yes, it is slow compared to what we saw at

the end of the last part of qualifying, but Hamilton going

quicker. 1. 15. 7. So he goes fastest but Webber is on a quicker

lap That is quicker than Hamilton, so he has gone for it straight off.

Here comes Mark Webber, the pole winner, he goes fastest, remember,

he inherited pole last year when Michael Schumacher who set the

outright fastest qualifying time had a grid pen Friday a preceding race

so Mark ended up with the pole but he earned it a couple of years ago,

so he does love this circuit. Alonso has gone third. Jean-Eric Vergne is

fourth. I wonder if he can keep up this God form. Perez. Sutille,

Rosberg ninth. We are yet to see Vettel, although he has just crossed

the line and has gone seventh. Raikkonen pushing now and two

tennises down on the fastest man of all, Webber at this stage. Let us

see what he can do. So conditioning the tyres on that out-lap. Now he is

giving it is full beans. Here we go. Let us see what time that is.

Raikkonen goes second. Not enough to beat him. Here comes Hamilton. Has

he found more pace? Yes. Hamilton goes ahead. Rosberg has gone quicker

than Hamilton. The two Mercedes fighting together. We see Alonso go

fourth and Webber, has gone faster, he has done it 1. 14. 7 but the

track is continuing to get faster. Vettel fastest in the first sector.

Look at that, the speed through the swimming pool. It is all going to be

done into this last sector. Huge commitment from the reigning World

Champion Sebastian Vettel and points leader here in 2013. How he rotates

that car and keeps it just off the barrier is remarkable. He is

fastest, Sebastian Vettel 1. 14. 3 and we are getting down to serious

dry weather times now, because 1. 43 was pole for Schumacher in terms of

fastest qualifying pace although they were in the 13s a couple of

years ago. It is a fraction faster than Rosberg did this morning

looks like there is more to come. Adjustment on the steering wheel.

That could be something that affects the way the braking, look at the

speed as he goes into the back. Small hesitation there, through the

swimming pool. Locked up on the way into the chicane.

Round the Rascasse, so early on the power with this modern formula,

Formula One. So what is this going to do for

Jenson Button. He crossed the line and goes seventh. He is ahead of

Perez but only by a President Obamaingion. They in the top ten,

that is the key thing for McLaren who know they don't have a car that

is as quick as some of their rivals. Alonso is back out. The only Ferrari

in the final part of qualifying. Massa never did a lap because of the

damage done this morning. You are onboard with Alonso as he chases

down a potential front row starting position. Hamilton is out on track

as well. We have several rejoining. Jean-Eric Vergne is out.

RADIO: It is spitting a bit but it is only going to get worse, you have

to push as hard as you can for the first lap. That is interesting, that

would work well for Alonso, because he is the first to go back on the

new tyre. He is running behind Button. I am seeing they are going

through the Portier, presumably Button will feed to get a move op or

let Alonso go to avoid boxing his lap. Alonso has backed off on this

lap to get some space. Looking at Hamilton. He is finding himself

space. He has a clear space. No cars ahead of him. There you are onboard

with Alonso. He is warming the tyres This is not ideal. When you are

having to weave round, it does very little. You get more heat by

braking, that radiates into the wheel, the tyre, and into the cars

can, so Alonso compromised by having to go slowly. Webberer fastest of

all in the first sector. Another great performance from Webber. What

about Kimi Raikkonen? He was a tenth slower than Webber. Hamilton is

virtually the same. Rosberg has gone fastest in the first sector. So

Rosberg's pace from practise is being repeated by the looks of it.

Raikkonen fast through the swimming pool section.

RADIO: There is a problem with power, what do you want me to do

Keep pushing. A slow first sector for Jenson. Where is the flying

Finn? He is up to third. Vettel, will that be for long? Webber is on

top now, 1. 14. 1 but Vettel is back on circuit. With the clock ticking

away, here, the chequered flag will come out soon, but Hamilton

perfectly timed here, because he is going to get one more lamb lap in,

it is a 1. President for -- 1. 13. 9. Is that enough? He still has

another lap. Rosberg has gone even faster. He has done a is. 13. 8 and

he has beaten his tame mate again. Can anybody else improve on what we

have seen from these two Mercede, you have to keep an eye on Vettel

because he has been fast, but he is not showing fastest of all at the

moment. There is Sebastian Vettel, he is a fraction down in the first

sector, about a tenth down in the second, so this final sector will

have to be miraculous, if Sebastian Vettel is going to prevent Nico

Rosberg taking pole. It is not enough. He is beaten by both

Mercede, now it is Webber and he has I think backed off. It won't make

any improvement from him and Raikkonen has backed off. It is pole

position once again for Nico Rosberg, his hat-trick of pole

positions and of course four in a row for Mercede, that is another

stunning effort by the Mercedes team. Rosberg has outqualified

Hamilton, Webber but what must this men to Rosberg? Let us look at this

order then. With a much better chance this time of hanging on to it

in space last year. Red Bull third Jean-Eric Vergne's befrs qualifying

position. Behind him those who didn't make it into to the top 0.

-- best. Daniel Ricciardo 12th fastest, then

Grosjean 13th after a very up and disappointed, then you have pick

peck, Esteban Gutierrez, Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi, but top spot, the

controlling position for the Monaco Grand Prix belongs to Nico Rosberg.

Congratulations your third consecutive pole at home and what

must have been testing conditions out there today? Yes, good challenge

out there. But it was great, it was good fun in the wet. Then just

difficult, with the changing condition, and you just had to be

out there in the right moment, right time. For us it was a matter of

keeping it safe. All I had to do was get through to the next session. I

was quick, even in the wet because the car was just good, so I knew I

didn't have to go the limit, it was about the last part of qualifying

where it came down to one lap because the first lap was getting a

feel for where everything is. The last lap was the one that pointed --

counted and it worked out. Let us look at that. It was superfast.

You can tell us about it? Yes, this is the Loews hairpin. The tightest

corner of the year, and you can still see wet patches which made it

difficult. I go wide op the kerb there. It is difficult braking into

the next chicane. Braking over the hump. There is a risk of locking up

the front tyres. I got it right. Good acceleration. Really close to

the barrier on the exit. This is the fastest part of the track. Here I

clip the inside barrier, you will see maybe I hit it, I don't know if

it was the front wing or tyre. I hit the barrier, it was OK. The last two

hairpins went and got out the last one well, and flat out to the finish

line. It was good enough. We have seen your outstanding pace, is this

the one that you are going to convert to the win? Nobody is

thinking about the win honestly yet, because it has been so

difficult in the races. Just two weeks ago, one and a half seconds

lower in the race. It is just a weakness. I'm happy with the day,

but my happiness is a bit, how can I say, not as high as it would

normally be, because I know that tomorrow... Tempered.Tempered is

the word, tomorrow is still difficult. Maybe the track will be

an advantage, for sure, but the amount of stops we are going to do

tomorrow, a lot less than we did in Barcelona, so to do a good result,

you still need a good car that has little degradation, so...

obviously wish you all the best tomorrow. I know you have to go, so

thank you the stopping and talking to us. Let's hear now from Lewis.

Just tell us how you think it is going to work tomorrow, you and Nico

going alongside each other into turn one.

The have to be careful, can you get in front? It is very difficult to

overtake him, unless he has a problem at the start, which is

unlikely, with Alistair Wing so good. Getting past is going to be

trouble -- with our staff being so good. A pit stop is when you will

get the chance, maybe. Explain how you are feeling, because Saturdays

have been strong for you, Sundays are less so. Can this change around

the streets? I hope so. Saturdays haven't been particularly strong for

me, they have been so-so, but usually my qualifying sessions are

pretty good. I have been struggling this season, but I'm hoping to get

better, I am working on it and we are working on the long-running

pace, high-speed corners here, we may have a better chance.

So front row, but not looking too happy, Eddie. I think he's trying to

disguise, he doesn't want any extra pressure. He knows, front row of the

grid, who knows what happen? He is in the perfect position. For

Mercedes, it couldn't be a better starting position. How do you see

it, David? I think he's disappointed. This is a badge of

honour, any qualifying session, you want to be ahead of your team-mate

and Nico has been faster in all of the sessions. He is any one tenth

behind, you can find and blues that in one corner, and he also knows he

has a difficulty knowing whether the tyres will be more durable. -- he is

only one tenth behind. I think I had a chance on pole

position today, so I wasn't surprised being third, but I kind of

wanted to go for Paul, so initially I am a little bit disappointed, but

that is how it is -- go for pole position. No point wasting energy on

a result, it is done, so even though I would love to try again, I can't

and we have a strong car, that is the most important it. Thursday, I

was struggling and I didn't feel well, but we improved the car a lot,

so the free day yesterday helped and it seems we made use of it. So I am

happy with that, and I'm happy race tomorrow. It is a long race here, so

usually the one who crosses the line first deserves to win. That many

laps give you the opportunity to make up for something, in case you

have the speed, so at some stage we will be able to use our speed and we

will see what we can do. He looks relaxed, doesn't equal

Jamaat he is in third, he can do something from there, can't he?

explained everything graphically there, he didn't have a run at pole

position, which wasn't the case with the free practice sessions, but he

knows there is a whole host of opportunities tomorrow. In that

interview, we have heard so much about tyres, and all of those

complaints are coming from Red Bull and in particular Sebastien Vettel,

not a whisper. He knows he has a chance to win this and they are

putting the tyres away for another excuse in weeks to come. We can get

the thoughts from his team boss, Christian Horner. You have locked

out the second row of the grid, you are seeking your fourth consecutive

Monaco win, can you do it? Anything is possible around here. It was a

solid qualifying. I thought we had got pole position at one point,

Sebastien decided to go for one more lap on the last run and he was up

all the way up until the last sector and he just got a bit out of shape.

He sounded frustrated on the radio on the way in that he had just

missed that 10th of a second. But nonetheless, third and fourth,

strong qualifying the Mark Webber, it is good to have cars on the

second row. How you going to get past those Mercedes? It is so often

one from the front row here. Yes, but we have seen 2013 Formula One is

nothing like that. If Barcelona is anything to go by, it was 15 years

or so since a car the front row had won the race there, so anything is

possible. We just have to focus on how our race, try and get a good

start and get stuck in. Eddie, are Red Bull up against it in

terms of pressure against? Lotus are coming at them, four points. It is

nice pressure, because they are leading the championship not just

for the drivers but also the constructors. They are very

confident behind-the-scenes. You heard Christian, they believe

Mercedes will have a problem with tyres, so they feel they are

actually really on pole position. They have locked out the

front-runner in their minds. David, where the possibilities here that

you can overtake? The DRS zone is down into turn one but it is hard to

find a place there. I think into Chicane if someone is being

compliant. Otherwise it is very difficult. But it can be won and

lost with pitstops and strategy? That can be the defining moment. If

somebody can get away with 1-stop, they will have tens of seconds in

their back pockets over someone a two stop will stop when you are

talking about one stop, you have to talk about motors? By the past

masters, I don't want to talk about, but they are building up pressure

for themselves. Kimi Raikkonen is the consummate professional and I

will be very surprised if he is not on the podium.

Well, obviously, we didn't see Felipe Massa in qualifying because

of this crash this morning in the final free practice session, and the

team just could not get that car ready in time, but Lee McKenzie

caught up with him after qualifying. Tell us what happened

this morning. The team have said it was your fault. Actually, I was

breaking over the bump and I locked both wheels in the front, which was

a very difficult thing to happen, and when I braked, the front wheels

locked and I hit the side on the left, and it just happens, you know?

By the time I braked, it was on a bump and everything, so it was not a

nice thing to happen. But for sure, we checked the car and there was no

problem with the car. Such bad timing to happen in that

final practice session and too much for the team to sort out. Indeed, it

was a comprehensive accident but let's not be doom and gloom.

Fernando Alonso in 2010, he came back from no qualifying time to

finish in sixth in the race. David, and a state like that, how easy is

it to make when you hit a bump -- a mistake. On this kind of circuit,

with temperatures not optimal, it is easy to lock the front tyres. On

this case, it is unforgiving because the barrier comes back to meet you.

It may not be all doom and gloom as Eddie says, he will be able to

preserve the tyres and the place will be slow slow -- the pace will

be so slow, he may be able to do it on a one stop. And he should start

from the pitlane, which maybe an extra vantage, because it will avoid

all of the first lap incidents. -- advantage. Let's hear from his

team-mate, Fernando Alonso, who goes from the third row. Sixth place,

better or worse than you expected? It is worse, obviously. Monaco is

the most important qualifying of the season, and six is not a great

position if you want to fight for the win, but it seems that here, we

are not competitive enough to go for the win, so we need to target new

goals for the race and maybe finishing in front of our main

competitors in the championship, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastien, but we

are starting in the same row as Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastien is one in

front, so we try to finish ahead of them. If Mercedes wins the Grand

Prix, a difficult weekend Ross, maybe it is good news. He sounds

like he sounds like he's going for the point, but you believe that --

he sounds like he is going for the points. I don't believe a word of

it. He is a master craftsman. He is trying to fool us where we think he

is going for a podium position, but I believe he is totally fired up for

this. You just have to see what unfolds. If he has the car and clear

track and you can see the lap times. If he is running in traffic, at

Monte Carlo, you have to take what you can get it was looking great out

there, the best qualifying session we have had this year.

Mixed conditions helped, but in the first two sessions, every time we

crossed the finishing line, we were right the front. I think in Q3, I

was in fifth place, and then I went into the pits for another set and I

had no power, we had a problem with something. We seem to be our own

worst enemy, really. When we eventually get the car working

well, going great in terms of performance, and through qualifying

the team did a great job in terms of strategy on getting out on tyres in

the right time, and we make decisions, and when it all matters,

we have a problem. It did look a lot more likely today,

but he got at qualified by his team-mate, Sergio Perez, which he

will not be pleased about -- outqualified. He won't, but it is

good news for Sergio Perez, he will be judged against his world champion

team-mate. Jenson is disappointed that they are taking one step

forward but to back when it comes to the last part of qualifying. Jenson

tends to be much stronger in the races, and if it is changeable

conditions tomorrow, who would that against him moving forward? Yes, but

his body language is disappointing. He doesn't give that confident air

that he had, when he was with McLaren and I don't see it. At the

moment, he seems like a man that needs a big injection of speed.

how can he feel confident when he is not being given the goods to drive?

He has to think about his team-mate first. Yes, he beat him last time in

Barcelona but it was somewhat fortunate. I believe he needs to up

his qualifying speed. Do you agree, David? The facts are that Sergio is

in front of Jenson and they both have the same car, so presumably

they will bring in new parts and it is working better on Sergio's car,

but the whole team needs to go forward. The winning drivers usually

have the cars that are capable of doing that consistently. McLaren as

we know are having a difficult start of the season. Let's have a look at

how the grid will form. The second straight Mercedes front

row with the red cars right behind, seeking a fourth consecutive Monaco

victory -- with the Red Bull. John Eric Verne has achieved a

career-best 10th -- John Eric Verne. Van der Garde has secured

Caterham's test starting slot in 15 years. Felipe Massa start at the

very back of the grid following his accident in practice. You can catch

all of the action tomorrow at 5:35 p.m.

On BBC One and BBC One HD. Gentleman, a great qualifying