The greenness of the track and Kovalainen's engine failure somewhat compromised the morning running, and rain after 30 minutes in the afternoon meant only Button got a good run on the super-soft Pirellis. In that session conditions were never ideal, either for slicks or intermediates. Thus nobody could work through their usual programmes to assess tyre behaviour over a long run

Team representatives - Vijay Mallya (Force India), Jean-Francois Caubet (Renault Sport F1), Frank Williams (Williams), Monisha Kaltenborn (Sauber), Ross Brawn (Mercedes). Q: Vijay, first of all welcome, I think this is your first Grand Prix of the year and you love Monaco. But how do you keep in touch when you're a long way away

In a world championship that spans several continents, being able to simply walk down the road to work is quite a luxury. In that respect Lewis Hamilton has already hit the jackpot this weekend. On the track, his Friday running wasn't quite so smooth. However, McLaren team mate Jenson Button showed that either of the Woking team's drivers could be in for a Monte-Carlo win, leaving Hamilton confident that things could just go his way

Williams' Pastor Maldonado surprised everyone - including himself - when he clinched his maiden Formula One victory at the last round in Barcelona. After enduring a spate of jibes about being a pay driver, Maldonado was particularly pleased to prove the naysayers wrong, take his team's first win since 2004 and become something of a hero in his home country of Venezuela. He reflects on the Spanish weekend and discusses his hopes for this weekend's Monte Carlo eventВ…

It was a mixed opening day in Monte Carlo, not least because of the changeable weather. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso led during the sunny morning session, whilst McLaren's Jenson Button was the quickest runner after lunch before the rain hit. The drivers and senior team personnel report back...