Monaco, May 29: Jaguar driver Mark Webber has set the pace in a highly competitive first practice session at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Australian headed Britons Jenson Button and David Coulthard by just over a 10th of a second with a lap of one minute 16.373 seconds. Renault drivers Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli were fourth and fifth and Michael Schumacher sixth.
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, a Monaco specialist, was also quick throughout, and ended up seventh in his Jordan. The top seven drivers were all within 0.6secs of each other.

Webber leapt to the top of the timesheets right at the end of the session after Alonso had lent weight to Renault's confidence that they could battle for victory in Monaco by setting the pace for much of the session.
Thursday afternoon's qualifying session, which starts at 1300 BST, is more important than at any other race so far this year.



The grid is decided by the one-lap runs in Saturday's final qualifying, but the fastest car on Thursday runs last on Saturday when the track should be at its quickest.



A good grid position is vital at Monaco because overtaking is so difficult. The other British drivers, Ralph Firman and Justin Wilson of Jordan and Minardi, were 16th and 18th.


Bureau Report