"I am really looking forward to Monaco - it is one of the tracks I have always dreamed of racing at in
F1," the Briton says, "For me, it is the best circuit of the year. There is nowhere like it for getting the adrenaline going. Because the track is so tight and there are no run-off areas, you have to be incredibly precise, there is no room for error and, as a driver, that makes it all the more exciting. I have always run well at Monaco, having won there on my previous two visits, so I am going to the race again this year with the intention of fighting for the win - even if we have to keep being realistic, as this will be my fifth race in F1 and I am still developing."
Hamilton's instant success is rumoured not to have gone down too well with Alonso, who no doubt expected to be top dog at
McLaren at least while the rookie found his feet, but the Spaniard is keeping his dignity and focusing on maintaining the team's current points advantage - at least - over
Ferrari.
"Monaco is another of those races that, at the start of the year, you mark as one that you really want to win," he admits, "I took the victory last year and, although it was an emotional weekend, it was an amazing feeling, one that I will race hard to try and repeat again this season. I have not had the results I have wanted at the previous two races, but I have kept scoring good points and we have continued to develop the performance of the car."
The test team completed a four-day session at Paul Ricard between races, with two of those days focused on a layout designed to mimic Monaco, and generated 'good feedback' according to CEO Martin Whitmarsh.
Renault – Giancarlo Fisichella (#3), Heikki Kovalainen (#4):
Renault may not have enjoyed the start of the season in quite the same way as it has in recent seasons, but was buoyed by the improvement shown by the revised R27 in Barcelona two weeks ago. Although only Heikki Kovalainen scored points, both drivers were hampered by a fuel rig problem, and the team remains confident that it can be a contender for points again this weekend.
