2006 Monaco Grand Prix

Championship standings

Alonso extends his run of podium finishes to all six races so far, with three wins among them. Schumacher arrives at Monaco with two consecutive wins and is cutting into the gap. A win here would equal Ayrton Senna’s record of six Monaco victories.

Previous race

Alonso won in Spain from pole for his third victory of the season, with Schumacher second and Fisichella third. Montoya spun at high speed and beached his McLaren mid-race, but a crane removed the car without a safety car. Villeneuve started from the back of the grid after another engine penalty, and Coulthard’s car suffered a mechanical failure in Q1.

Between-race developments

Testing was held at Circuit Paul Ricard during the break. Alonso topped the timesheets on the first two days. Villeneuve was fastest on the third day, over four tenths clear of his nearest rival, Kovalainen. Toyota also used the test to run their updated TF106B car, with Trulli finishing third on day one. Honda and Williams held a separate test at a circuit near Vallelunga, which features a new chicane added to simulate Monaco’s characteristics. Button topped day three of that test, with Davidson second and Webber third.

Practice

Alonso was quickest in the opening practice session with a best of 1:16.712. Wurz was fastest in the second session, with Anthony Davidson’s Honda second and Montoya third; Davidson caused a red flag early in the session after misjudging the entry to Ste Dévote and removing his front wing and left front wheel. Alonso headed the Saturday morning session, with Schumacher 0.2 seconds back in second.