Formula One news

Kovalainen prays for trouble free weekend in Monaco

McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen faced a difficult start of the season at McLaren. The Finn will travel to Monaco next week for round six in the 2008 Formula 1 championship and he hopes to have a trouble free weekend for a change.

Speaking about the upcoming race weekend in Monaco Kovalainen said: "I want to have a trouble free race and to be able to show the pace we have in the car. It felt really good all weekend in Turkey and we had a good test on the Monaco-simulation track at Paul Ricard. We have certainly improved and hopefully we can capitalise on that at Monaco.

"Of all the races, Monaco is the most unpredictable Grand Prix, as always I want to be challenging for the win, but with this race who can say!"

According to Kovalainen the qualifying session on Saturday afternoon is the key to a good result in Sunday's Grand Prix. He explains: "Overtaking on the street circuit at Monaco is virtually impossible even if the other car is much slower. That means qualifying is even more important than any of the other tracks, you have to be near the front of the grid, as otherwise you can't run your own pace. You end up stuck behind the slower cars and that costs you huge amounts of time.

During the qualifying session, the priority is track position, to allow you to do you own lap and avoid other cars, but it is very difficult. Everybody tries to slow down at the last hairpin to get a gap to the next car, so when you are on your flying lap one lap later you arrive wanting to complete your fastest time and everyone is waiting there again to pull their gap out. So timing is what we are focused on, and luck! Set-up, balance and getting the most out of the car is of course very important but timing is crucial."

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