Formula One news
Button grabs Monte-Carlo pole
23 May 2009 / Results / PhotosJenson Button has claimed pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, as the Englishman's fine run of 2009 performances continues. He is joined on the front row of the grid by Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen although Lewis Hamilton, both BMW and both Toyota cars were knocked out of the session in Q1 and start at the back of the grid.
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| Boats moored alongside the track are moved away by ten metres for safety reasons |
Crowds were treated to another bright - if not expensive - afternoon in the principality as the sun shone down to create air temperatures of a pleasant 25°C (77°F). After morning practice in Monaco, a number of drivers had been tipped for pole with the McLaren and Ferrari teams hoping to deliver a number of knockout blows with improved cars.
Both teams took knocks early on, however, as a scare for Felipe Massa came when the Brazilian lost control of the Ferrari and hit the barrier on the inside of Turn 15; with Massa hitting the same piece of armco on the exit of the swimming pool section as team-mate Räikkönen two years ago, the Brazilian immediately returned to the pits for a new nose cone with time aplenty to spare.
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| A disastrous mistake by Hamilton leaves the World Champion 16th on the grid |
Lewis Hamilton had been hoping for and expected a strong performance on the less aerodynamic-reliant street circuit, although bitter disappointment came for the World Champion as he lost control of the back of the McLaren and smacked the barrier at Mirabeau; the highs of Monaco 2008 must now seem an age away for Lewis, who starts 16th after making an unforced error.
Following a red flag and short stoppage after Hamilton's off, a huge surprise came in the form of both BMW and Toyota cars filling the back two rows of the grid, as a lack of pace for the former was coupled with bad timing and traffic problems for the latter which leaves Trulli - who took pole two races ago - at the back with team-mate Glock.
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| Fisichella had two times deleted after cutting chicanes |
The Force India team impressed with both cars reaching Q2; Fisichella may have had two times deleted for crossing the Nouvelle and Swimming Pool chicanes but still wound up 13th, two places ahead of team-mate Sutil. Toro Rosso drivers Buemi and Bourdais were also eliminated in the second phase of the hour, with 11th and 14th positions respectively and the Swiss driver the quicker of the pair once again. Nelson Piquet both clipped a barrier and suffered from a final corner spin on his way to 12th in the Renault.
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| Kimi Räikkönen is second on the Monaco grid once again |
Heading into the final top ten shootout were two cars for Brawn, Red Bull, Williams and Ferrari as well as Fernando Alonso's Renault and the sole remaining McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen; the Finn completed a strong lap to qualify seventh on the grid ahead of Webber, with Alonso and Kazuki Nakajima rounding out the tenth row in a session where all ten cars carried starting fuel loads ahead of the race.
Nico Rosberg looked almost certain for a top three spot before a spurt from the five men in front relegated the German, a local man in Monaco, to sixth behind Massa. Sebastian Vettel was the leading Red Bull car in fourth position although Rubens Barrichello, who has appeared to once again have the edge on his Brawn team-mate through practice, starts third and possibly with a heavier fuel load.
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| Pole number four of 2009 for Jenson Button |
Button final's lap of 1.14.902 may have missed Michael Schumacher's 2004 track record by almost half a second but was enough to claim pole number four from six races so far this season. Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari - just 25 thousandths of a second slower and the first KERS-equipped car on the grid - makes a welcome return to the front row of the grid in a radically improved car, although the revealing by the FIA of driver fuel loads later on this afternoon will provide an accurate reading into the extent of that performance leap.
The Monaco Grand Prix is forecast to be taking place in sunshine although, with the Ferraris back on the pace and three potentially quick cars coming from the back of the field, the race promises to be the best of the season so far. You can follow the progress of it all live on GPUpdate.net at 2pm local time (GMT +1) tomorrow.
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