Formula 1

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Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has signed an agreement with the Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association (GPMA) to end the threat of a rival series from 2008; the pair confirming on Friday that they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) after years of negotiation.

The five carmakers are Renault, BMW, DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes, Honda and Toyota.

The five, who all have teams in the championship, signed the document during the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend but Ecclestone, 75, had left the Circuit de Catalunya without putting pen to paper.

Ecclestone told the Autosport website: "We've now signed our part and it is now just a question of sending it to the lawyers. The negotiations have taken a while and we spent a lot of time discussing issues which were not real, honest issues.

"But now at least we have the MOU and that will form the basis of the Concorde Agreement, once we get the FIA technical issues sorted."

A GPMA spokesman confirmed that all parties had signed.

The existing 'Concorde Agreement', a confidential document binding the teams, commercial rights holder Ecclestone and governing International Automobile Federation (FIA), expires at the end of 2007.

Champions Renault have already announced that they are committed to the championship long-term while glamour team Ferrari last year broke ranks with the GPMA's predecessor, the GPWC, and signed with Ecclestone to 2012.

Terms of the new deal have not been disclosed, although media reports have speculated that the teams - currently 11 but 12 from 2008 - will now get 50 percent of the $1 billion sport's revenues.

Under the terms of the previous agreement, in 1997, teams shared around 23 percent of the revenues.

"This will constitute now the biggest single commercial resolution and will allow us to move forward to focus on the future of Formula One," said McLaren boss Ron Dennis in Barcelona last Sunday.

"This document is only the first step towards (a new) Concorde Agreement, sporting and technical regulations," he added. "There is a long, long way to go...but this is the core, the absolute cornerstone of the future Concorde Agreement."

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Former Renault test driver Franck Montagny will get another chance to prove to the Super Aguri Formula One team that he deserves a permanent seat when he races through the legendary streets of Monaco this weekend. The Frenchman is not guaranteed any seat beyond the principality's grand prix.

Montagny was called in for the European Grand Prix when the FIA suspended Yuji Ide for having sent Midland F1's Christijan Albers careering off the track at Imola in an accident that was deemed avoidable and will contest his third GP in Monaco.

Nothing to write home about, his first two races at the Nürburgring and the Circuit de Catalunya ended in two DNFs. The former Formula Renault and Formula 3000 driver is not expecting the easiest of weekends but is most appreciative to the Super Aguri F1 team for the chance to partake in one of the most celebrated motorsport events in the world.

"It has been good to have a ten-day break after the Spanish Grand Prix," said the 28 year-old. "I have been able to relax, visit the factory to see the guys and prepare for the race next week.

"I am very pleased to be going to my first Monaco Grand Prix with the Super Aguri F1 team and I would like to thank [team boss] Aguri [Suzuki] for having the confidence in me to do it."

The Japanese team have not confirmed who will race next to Takuma Sato in the proceeding grands prix following the FIA's suspension of Ide's Super licence, but a strong performance will obviously boost his push for more races.

"It will be a hard race for sure, but I am very much looking forward to the most famous race of the season and I am very glad to be taking part."

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Defending champion Fernando Alonso (Renault) has joined Mark Webber (Williams) and Jacques Villeneuve (BMW) in expressing his concerns about the potential hazards of the first qualifying session in the Monaco GP with the new knockout format where all 22 will be on the track looking for hot laps.

"I think everybody will be a little bit worried about qualifying," Alonso told autosport.com. "Already in Monaco, you normally have a lot of traffic in every session, and this year qualifying will be very tough.

"I think the first 15 minutes will be hardest because one yellow flag, or if the guy in front has problems, then you could be out. So we need to be careful, and for sure we will have a different strategy to make sure we get into the top ten."

The biggest concern stems from the fact that the track is very narrow and twisty with blind corners all over. Drivers often slow down after posting a fast lap and risk impeding - or worse - drivers who might currently be on flyers themselves.

This was the case last year when Juan Pablo Montoya (McLaren) slowed from 278 kph down to just 86; holding up David Coulthard and causing Jacques Villeneuve to plow his Sauber into the back of his Red Bull in a near catastrophic accident.

The tight nature of the Monaco streets means that starting position on the grid is vital to a good result and this will surely encourage drivers to take more risks during qualifying.

"For sure, we set-up the car for qualifying, and work all weekend to get that perfect lap," explained Alonso. "If you are on the front row, then if you finish the race, it is almost 100% certain you will be on the podium. If you are not in the top five in qualifying, then you can forget the podium. So qualifying is where you need to take a lot of risks, but necessary risks. It is the key to the race."

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After a disappointing start to the 2006 season Toyota will look to make up ground when they introduce the new TF106B in the Monaco GP. Toyota have come to timely grips with their tyre problems prior to launching the new car for this tight and twisty track where cornering and grip are essential.

The new specification focused mainly on the structural development of the car rather then the aero package, with particular attention to front grip after their understeering problems leading up to Imola.

Veteran driver Olivier Panis tested the TF106B at the Circuit Paul Ricard at home in France and found that the balance and setup were quite good. "I think the B-car's front-end is much stiffer, and there is less understeer in the middle of the corner," the test-driver told autosport.com. "I think it is good for Monaco, though I did not drive on the Monaco configuration, but we are in good shape for Canada."

In previous testing Jarno Trulli was not able to cover many miles due to a shortage new parts but he was happy with the developments at Paul Ricard and concentrated on testing the Bridgestones for Monaco.

"After this test, I can say that the car is showing potential," said Trulli, who is yet to score a point this season. "It has a stiffer monocoque and structure and I feel more grip with this car.

"Additionally we did some tyre testing for the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. Monaco is always challenging and I have some good memories there, so we look forward to the race and will work to improve on our results."

Ralf Schumacher has scored all Toyota's points this season (eighth in Malaysia and third in Australia) and was also positive about the TF106B. "This test was important for us, in order for me to gain more experience with the new car," he said. "I believe we made good progress...it should help us gain a few tenths in time over the long run."

"From a driving point of view it's great to drive at Monaco and a challenge to be quicker than everyone else around the narrow streets," added Schumacher, who has tasted both pole and podium in the principality.

"The first challenge is to secure a good place on the grid and then to try and finish the race without mishap. Tyre choice is always tricky because the track changes so much during the weekend. But if you have a driveable car here it's fun so I'll be looking forward to trying out our new TF106B."

[Bor]

im not a "shumi" fan...I like Mercedes and BMW.
but i often dont watch F1.....its boring to me

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McLaren celebrates its 40th anniversary at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, and after suffering a disappointing start to the season to date, the team is eager to cap the milestone with a much-needed victory.

It is 40 years ago this weekend that Bruce McLaren gave the M2B it's Formula One debut as a constructor, and since then, the team has become the most successful at the Principality with 13 victories, five of which were with the legendary Ayrton Senna at the wheel.

McLaren's first Monaco Grand Prix victory occurred in 1984 with Alain Prost and the team went on to win every single year, apart from 1987, until 1993. Mika Hakkinen won in 1998, David Coulthard in 2000 and 2002 before Kimi Raikkonen took the last chequered flag last season.

However, with a good qualifying position being an important prerequisite to success, the team will need to vastly improve their qualifying pace and strategy if they are to start near the front of the grid. Kimi Raikkonen has shown flashes of speed this season but Juan Pablo Montoya has, to this point, failed to get to grips with the new format.

"Monte Carlo is a completely different challenge to the Barcelona track. We will be pushing hard for victory," Raikkonen said. "To lay the foundation for a good result you have to perform well in qualifying.

"In Monaco overtaking is almost impossible as the track is so twisty and narrow," he added. "Because of this, I am sure we will see some interesting strategies from all the teams."

With both team boss Ron Dennis and star driver Raikkonen having already ruled out fighting for the two titles on offer, the team have promised a more aggressive approach in order to pick up as many wins as possible.

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Ferrari announced on Wednesday that they have signed a three year sponsorship deal with Telecom Italia from 2007 after losing current sponsor Vodafone to McLaren from next season. Telecom Italia's Alice branding will appear on Ferrari's red Formula One cars.

"We are happy to embark on a partnership with a group as prestigious as Telecom Italia, which is a major industrial player," team manager Jean Todt said on Ferrari's official website.

"Innovation, the pursuit of excellence, speed and a spirit of competition are just some of the values we share with Telecom Italia and they will form the basis of a close and productive colaboration."

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Juan Pablo Montoya topped the standings after the second practice session at the Monaco GP, just ahead of Fernando Alonso. With Renault's reigning World Champion having headed the timings all through the day, McLaren's Columbian driver put in a dashing lap at the end of day to steal the spoils.

After a day of struggle for McLaren, Montoya put a smile on Ron Dennis' face with a blinding lap right at the end of the session, to topple Alonso after the Spaniard had dominated the field eligible for the race all through the day.

Meanwhile, his team-mate had a nightmare of a day, after being forced to sit out most of the morning session and a good deal of the afternoon too with technical problems.

Raikkonen had earlier required the marshals to step in with fire extinguishers after a heat shield caught fire on his car, but luckily there was no damage to the engine and after some speedy work from his pit-crew, he was able to complete a much needed 18 laps of testing.

Alonso, looked comfortable all day and appeared to have the measure of the field yet again before Montoya's stunning final effort. With his team-mate also clear of everyone bar the McLaren's, the scene appears to be set for a battle between the two teams for the big points at the weekend, assuming that the Mercedes engines can stay in one piece.

Once again the Toyotas struggled to find pace, despite releasing a 'b' variant of the car that started the year and the Ferrari's, prominent in the morning session, showed little of that early pace with Michael Schumacher down in 15th with Massa not taking to the track at all.

However, the German seems to have an ace up his sleeve, and was in good spirits when talking to the press afterwards.

"Certainly it will be much easier for us here this year compared to last year, because last year it was clear we were not competitive," the German said.

"This year I think we have a good chance."

In the battle of the test-drivers, Alexander Wurz scored a rare victory for Williams Cosworth, leaving it late to beat an earlier time set by Honda's Anthony Davidson after the Brit became a victim to the famous tight circuit at Monaco when he drifted wide and stuffed the left side of his car into the barrier at Sainte Devote, causing the session to be stopped.

Another casualty from the second session was the hard-charging Robert Kubica in his BMW. The Pole found the back of his car stepping out at Rascasse after a traction-control failure, with another red-flag the result.

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World champion Fernando Alonso has warned Sunday's showcase Monaco Grand Prix could throw up some surprises for some of the Formula One frontrunners. "In Monaco there are always some surprises, as we saw last year when Williams finished second and third," said the defending Renault champion.

"There will be some teams here that will be a surprise and will be in front of the top teams. Hopefully it will not happen to us," said the 24-year-old Spaniard who has yet to appear on the podium in Monaco.

"Every year its a different team but Williams, Red Bull, BMW...one of those teams -- normally in Monaco they are extremely quick and cause some trouble to you."

Germany's Nick Heidfeld, now with BMW Sauber, was second in Monaco last season with Williams, while then team mate Mark Webber of Australia was third.

Williams have since switched to Bridgestone tyres, the same as Ferrari, and their Austrian test driver Alexander Wurz set the fastest lap in free practice on Thursday.

Ferrari-powered Red Bull have two-times Monaco winner David Coulthard as their lead driver.

Qualifying will be crucial on a tight and twisty street circuit where overtaking is almost impossible and drivers fear that the new three-part knockout format will turn Saturday into a lottery.

CLEAR LAP

"I'm sure that on Saturday afternoon we have a lot of discussions between the drivers," said Alonso. "We have to be patient, we know that its impossible for everybody to get a clear lap with 22 cars in three kilometres in one minute.

"The most important part of this weekend is the qualifying but at the same time the most difficult part."

Alonso won his home Spanish Grand Prix this month, an experience he likened to taking the title last year, but winning Monaco would also rank high in his list of great moments as one of a handful of special circuits.

"Monaco, Indianapolis and Barcelona for me," he said. "Circuits with big names, history in Formula One and motor racing and for sure a victory here is great."

The Spaniard's biggest rival before Thursday's practice was Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, the seven-time world champion who stand to equal Brazilian Ayrton Senna's record of six wins in Monaco this weekend.

McLaren's form, with Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya the fastest race driver in practice and last year's winner Kimi Raikkonen sixth, has forced him to recognise a new challenge.

"It seems that Ferrari and McLaren are both in good shape here and our main competitors will be them probably," he said.

McLaren, championship runners-up last year, have yet to win a race this season, whereas Schumacher has won twice, and Alonso expected Ferrari to be fighting for pole position. Ultimately, the car will make the difference however.

"Monaco is a drivers' circuit, for sure, but it is also a car circuit," he said. "Michael in the last four or five years has not won here because he didn't have the right car to win. No-one thinks that Michael was not able to win because of his driving style."

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According to technical director Ross Brawn, Ferrari were serious about bringing Valentino Rossi to the Formula One and despite his announcement to stay with the two wheels on Wednesday, the MotoGP champion may not have closed the door completely on a future switch.

"We were very impressed with what he was able to do," the Briton told reporters at the showcase Monaco Grand Prix on Thursday, a day after the charismatic Italian announced he was staying in motorcycling.

"Both sides had to decide if we wanted to go forward with it and I think he felt he had his hands full with his motorcycle career," added Brawn. "I think the difficulty he is having this year focused him more on that."

Rossi has dominated motorcycling's top category for the past five seasons but is struggling with his Yamaha this year and languishes in eighth place after five races as a new wave of Honda riders comes to the fore.

"I think after several championships he was looking for perhaps a new challenge and he's found a new challenge in his motorcycle career this year because its not going as well as he would hope," said Brawn.

Ferrari have given Rossi several tests over the past year amid speculation that he could take over from seven times champion Michael Schumacher.

"It would have been very exciting," said Brawn. "It's difficult to predict what the final results would have been but he was very impressive with all the running we did, impressive enough that we would have considered him seriously if we had the capacity to offer him to drive for us and if he wanted to do it."

Asked whether the 27-year-old Italian might still be able to break into Formula One in a couple of years, Brawn recognised it would be increasingly unlikely but not impossible.

"Of course the longer you leave it makes it a little bit more difficult," he said. "But I guess he could in a couple of years reconsider."

The technical director said also that Rossi had no inside information about Ferrari's plans for 2007 and that had not been a factor in his decision.

Ferrari are still waiting for 37-year-old Schumacher to decide whether he wants to continue and have also been strongly linked to McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen. They also have Brazilian Felipe Massa on their books.

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Results from qualifications :


1 M. Schumacher (GER) Ferrari 1:13.898
2 F. Alonso (ESP) Renault 1:13.980
3 M. Webber (AUS) Williams 1:14.082
4 K. Raikkonen (FIN) McLaren 1:14.140
5 G. Fisichella (ITA) Renault 1:14.440
6 J. Montoya (COL) McLaren 1:14.664
7 J. Trulli (ITA) Toyota 1:15.857
8 R. Barrichello (BRA) Honda 1:16.141
8 D. Coulthard (GBR) Red Bull 1:16.426
10 N. Rosberg (GER) Williams 1:16.636

11 R. Schumacher (GER) Toyota 1:14.398
12 C. Klien (AUT) Red Bull 1:14.747
13 V. Liuzzi (ITA) Toro Rosso 1:14.969
14 J. Button (GBR) Honda 1:14.982
15 J. Villeneuve (CAN) BMW 1:15.052
16 N. Heidfeld (GER) BMW 1:15.137

17 C. Albers (NED) Midland 1:15.598
18 T. Monteiro (POR) Midland 1:15.993
19 S. Speed (USA) Toro Rosso 1:16.236
20 T. Sato (JPN) Super Aguri 1:17.276
21 F. Montagny (FRA) Super Aguri 1:17.502
22 F. Massa (BRA) Ferrari out 2






Michael Schumacher will start Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix from pole position after a controversial qualifying session on Saturday. The result was protested by Renault after the German stalled his Ferrari in the Rascasse in the final minute, denying Fernando Alonso what would have been a likely pole.

The seven times world champion ran wide and stopped on the exit to the penultimate corner in the closing seconds of the final session, with Alonso and others still to complete their final flying laps behind him.

Furious Renault team boss Flavio Briatore said it looked like Schumacher had done it on purpose. "He's just parking the car," Briatore told ITV television before he and chief engineer Pat Symonds lodged an official protest. "This is the way Ferrari manage."

However, race stewards later denied any wrongdoing on Schumacher's behalf, rendering the German's 67th career pole as official. "I locked up the front in the Rascasse and ran wide and unfortunately the car was stuck on the track," he said.

"I tried to find reverse but knowing that other cars were coming, I decided against that and then the engine stalled," he added. "Whatever you do in certain moments, your enemies believe one thing and the people who support you believe another.

"Some people may not believe it, but unfortunately that's the world we live in."

Fernando Alonso was visibly angry at the decision after narrowly missing out on what could turn out to be an important pole position. "I was three tenths up before that final corner so yes, I would have been no pole," he said.

"I did my maximum in the car, the car is performing really well, we have a good strategy, the tyres are amazing and to lose pole on the final lap is not good for me."

Australian Mark Webber was third fastest for Williams with McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, last year's winner, fourth. Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella starts on the third row with McLaren's Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, the 2003 winner.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa will start at the back of the grid after crashing in the first part of qualifying. The Brazilian speared left into the tyre barrier on the blind crest of Casino Square, briefly stopping the session while the car was removed from the track.

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Edouard Michelin, Chief Executive Officer of the Michelin tyre company, has died following a boating accident on Friday. The 42-year old drowned near the island of Sein, off the coast of Finisterre in northwest France, after his boat sank while fishing for sea bass.

The death was not only a huge loss to Michelin's Formula One involvement, but to the French nation as a whole.

Michelin graduated with an engineering degree from Ecole Centrale de Paris before joining Michelin in 1985 as a production manager at the Pey-en-Velay factory in France. He then moved to North American as CEO before returning to France in 1993 to become a managing partner.

He became the CEO of Michelin in 1999.

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Ferrari defended Michael Schumacher and criticised stewards after the German was stripped of pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix and sent to the back of the grid. Follow the race LIVE on eurosport.com from 14:00cet on Sunday!


Race stewards ruled that the seven times champion deliberately stopped his car at the slow penultimate corner of the track in the dying seconds of qualifying to prevent rivals from beating his time.

Schumacher, whose claims that he had simply made a mistake drew outraged reaction in the paddock, had his times deleted and starts Sunday's race -- the glamour highlight of the Formula One season -- in last place.

"Ferrari notes with great displeasure the decision of the race stewards," team boss Jean Todt said in a statement on Sunday, rejecting the verdict.

"We totally disagree with it. Such a decision creates a very serious precedent, ruling out the possibility of driver error," the Frenchman added.

"Michael was on his final timed lap and he was trying to put his first place beyond doubt, as could be seen from the fact that his first split time was the best and could have seen him do another very good lap.

"With no real evidence, the stewards have assumed he is guilty."

The decision was a blow to Schumacher's title hopes, with the 37-year-old 15 points adrift of Renault's Fernando Alonso in the championship.

The Spaniard takes over the pole position on a track where overtaking is almost impossible.

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Just weeks after being crowned King of Spain, Fernando Alonso has now been donned Prince of Monaco after easing to victory in Sunday's Monaco GP. McLaren's Juan Pablo Montoya finished a distant second with David Coulthard giving Red Bull their first podium of the season in third.

The Spaniard was pushed hard by McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen and the Williams of Mark Webber for the majority of the 78-lap race before both retired late on with engine problems, handing Alonso his fourth win of the season and with it a 21-point lead over Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, who battled from the back of the grid to finish fifth.


1 F. Alonso (ESP) Renault 1:43:43.116
2 J. Montoya (COL) McLaren +15 sec
3 D. Coulthard (GBR) Red Bull +53
4 R. Barrichello (BRA) Honda +53.7
5 M. Schumacher (GER) Ferrari +54.6
6 G. Fisichella (ITA) Renault +62.5
7 N. Heidfeld (GER) BMW + 1 lap
8 R. Schumacher (GER) Toyota + 1 lap
9 F. Massa (BRA) Ferrari + 1 lap
10 V. Liuzzi (ITA) Toro Rosso + 1 lap
11 J. Button (GBR) Honda + 1 lap
12 C. Albers (NED) Midland + 1 lap
13 S. Speed (USA) Toro Rosso + 1 lap
14 J. Villeneuve (CAN) BMW + 1 lap
15 T. Monteiro (POR) Midland + 2 lap
16 F. Montagny (FRA) Super Aguri + 2 lap
17 J. Trulli (ITA) Toyota out
18 C. Klien (AUT) Red Bull out
19 N. Rosberg (GER) Williams out
20 K. Raikkonen (FIN) McLaren out
21 M. Webber (AUS) Williams out
22 T. Sato (JPN) Super Aguri out






Overall Standings :

1. F.Alonso 64 pts
2. M.Schumacher 43
3. G.Fisichella 27
- K.Raikkonen 27
5. J.Montoya 23
6. F.Massa 20
7. J.Button 16
8. R.Barrichello 13
9. R.Schumacher 8
- N.Heidfeld 8
11. D.Coulthard 7
12. J.Villeneuve 6
- M.Webber 6
14. N.Rosberg 4
15. C.Klien 1

Teams Total
1. Renault 91 pts
2. Ferrari 63
3. McLaren Mercedes 50
4. Honda Racing 29
5. BMW Sauber 14
6. Williams 10 5
7. Red Bull Racing 8
- Toyota 8

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Red Bull hint Coulthard will stayRed Bull team chief Christian Horner has dropped a strong hint that David Coulthard could be racing with the Formula One team again next year. "I'm very happy with the job that he's doing and he and I get along very well," he said after Coulthard gave the team its maiden podium in Monaco on Sunday.

"If a relationship's working and it's right, then why stop it?, " he said.

Horner described Coulthard, winner 13 times in his 201 races, as a team player whose driving skills were still sharp.

"He enjoys driving for us, he can see the team is getting stronger and stronger with every week and he knows what's coming," he said.

"This year's another building year for us and he's very keen to be part of the team going forward and we won't be making any decisions about drivers until later in the summer."

Coulthard's team mate this year is Austrian Christian Klien but Red Bull have two teams after buying Minardi and renaming it Toro Rosso.

Red Bull, owned by Austrian energy drink billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, rescued Coulthard's career at the end of 2004 when they signed him after he became surplus to requirements at McLaren.

The Briton, two times a winner in Monaco with McLaren, is eager to stay on in 2007 -- particularly now that former McLaren designer Adrian Newey has come on board and will have a big input into the new car.

"I think results, naturally, don't do any harm but the reality is that the conversations regarding next year are ongoing and have been and it is quite clear what my intention is," said Coulthard. "In a matter of course there will be an announcement."

Horner said age was no barrier to Coulthard's continuing, with the driver fit and motivated.

"Let's not forget that (Nigel) Mansell and (Damon) Hill were older than he is when they won their world championships," he said. "He's still got a lot to offer and while he's still motivated and performing, why should he stop?"

Ferrari-powered Red Bull hope to have a more competitive car for Coulthard's home British Grand at Silverstone next week and are hoping for even bigger improvements next year.

Coulthard's points in Monaco lifted the team level with seventh-placed Toyota on eight points and just two behind former champions

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Raikkonen: 'I would have won'

McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen believes he was good to win Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix ahead of defending champion Fernando Alonso (Renault) before the safety car came out for Mark Webber's abandoned Williams and destroyed his strategy. Raikkonen retired from the race soon after with overheating problems.

The Finn was on course for victory before the disaster struck with a clear pace advantage over the Renault of Fernando Alonso, who had never, up until that point, stood on the Monaco podium.

"Things just didn't go my way today," he the 2005 Monaco GP winner. "Our strategy would probably have meant that I would have been able to take the lead after the second series of pitstops, but we really lost out when the safety car came out."

The V8 engines were running right on the limit on the principality's tight streets and the air itself was having a cooling effect from sheer speed of the naturally aspirated cars and when the safety car came out, Raikkonen suffered a heat-shield failure from the decreased ventilation.

"There was a small fire caused by a heat shield which damaged a wiring loom and that was the end of the race for me," he said. "It's always disappointing to retire both for me and the team, but it's particularly hard when you all know that you are in with a good chance to win."

Despite Raikkonen's DNF, his McLaren finally showed some competitive pace - even appearing help up by the Renault. Team-mate Jaun Pablo Montoya gave the Silver Arrow team some encouragement with his second place but the Colombian's car was nowhere near Alonso's pace.

"From where we've been in the last few races, it's shown that McLaren and Mercedes have stepped up their game quite a lot and we're fighting [Renault and Ferrari]," said the Colombian. "The car was good, and I think we could have won today if things had gone our way.

"Now the important thing is to try and translate this into the next few races. I think we've improved our pace, I think we're closing up a little bit to Renault. They're still a little bit quicker than us on normal circuits but we're definitely heading in the right direction."

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Briatore praises Webber
Renault team boss Flavio Briatore sung Australian Mark Webber's praises on Sunday after the Williams driver had a podium finish snatched from his grasp in the Monaco Grand Prix. "Webber was more surprising than anybody, he did an incredible job," said the Italian, who manages Webber.

"Today, the shares in Mark go up. It's like the stock market. It was down and now it is up again," he told Reuters. "Frank (Williams) has the option but I'm pretty much sure that Webber is a good driver. If he has the right car. Today he was very good."

Webber is coming to the end of his second year at Cosworth-powered Williams, who have yet to exercise their option to keep him.

The Australian was on course to repeat his third place in Monaco last year after lining up on the front row of the starting grid and racing at the same pace as Alonso and McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen.

His race ended after 48 laps with an exhaust failure when hot gases burnt through wiring looms.

With Raikkonen retiring shortly after, Webber would have been on course for second place had his car proved more reliable.

"Obviously bitterly disappointed," said Webber, who feared it could be a while before he had another chance to shine in such a fashion.

"It's a one-off, this track is unique," he said. "In Barcelona we finished a lap behind and in this race we were strong.

"We've got to fill in the holes on the golf course that we're weak at and there are still plenty of them out there...we've got to get to the flag, that's the biggest thing that we've got to work on.

"There is no rewind button and all the hard work we did over the last few days is invisible now."

[azat]

Schumacher offers apology

Michael Schumacher apologised on Sunday, while still protesting his innocence, to anyone who suspected he had tried to manipulate Monaco Grand Prix qualifying in his favour. Speaking after salvaging a fifth position after starting last, the Ferrari driver said he had a clear conscience.

"Anyone who thinks that I deliberately wanted to wreck Alonso's lap is wrong," he told Germany's RTL television. "And to those who think that, I can only say 'I'm sorry that it happened'.

"But that was certainly not the intention because I was not even aware of where Alonso was. We didn't have radio contact and I did not have any knowledge of who was driving out."

Race stewards ruled on Saturday that the seven times world champion deliberately stopped at the slow penultimate corner of the track in the dying seconds of qualifying to prevent rivals from beating his time.

He was stripped of pole position and Alonso, who qualified second, promoted in his place.

"I'm used to living with criticism and in certain situations you just have to live with it," continued Schumacher. "I think that there is a lot of prejudice involved, because no one was really sitting in that car and knew how and why everything happened as it did.

TOO CHICKEN

"Without knowing the situation we had and what I felt, no one else is really in a position to accurately judge what happened from the outside," added the 37-year-old. "I have to admit that certain things must have looked a bit curious from the outside but there were reasons for that and I don't really want to elaborate on it. It's not really anyone else's business either."

Schumacher, five times a winner in Monaco and the most successful driver in the history of Formula One with 86 wins, recognised that his career was a chequered one with lows to match the highs.

"Everyone's got some spots on their clean vests," he declared. "I believe that I've had for the most part a clean vest in the 15 or 16 years that I've been in Formula One and there are perhaps a few darker points in there where some may dispute or criticise things. But I can live quite well with that."

Schumacher's manager Willi Weber had spoken earlier about envious enemies and the driver agreed that there were plenty of rivals in the paddock eager to see him punished.

He did not expect a reconciliation any time soon.

"Those who opened their mouths and made their snappy comments are now certainly too chicken to come to me and talk to me one on one," he said. "The others who are more reasonable have come up to talk to me about it.

"It's like anything else in life. You can't only have friends. You've got those who envy you and are foes. You've got to come to terms with that. Why should it be any different than in real life?"

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Webber rues lost podium

Mark Webber drove what was arguably the best race of career on Sunday as he kept Renault's Fernando Alonso and McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen honest for the majority of the 78-lap Monaco GP. The Australian was just seconds adrift of the leading duo before an exhaust problem forced him to retire on lap 50.

Webber, starting from the front row of the grid following Michael Schumacher's penalty, got a great start and managed to hold off the fast-starting McLaren of Raikkonen into turn one. However, on the next rotation, the Australian ran wide at St Devote and the Finn forced his way by up the hill to the Casino.

Webber then fell back from the leading duo before his Bridgestone tyres got up to temperature and was suddenly not only matching both Alonso and Raikkonen, but also lapping quicker than them as the trio pulled away from the field at an astonishing rate.

Raikkonen was the first to stop, then Alonso, handing Webber the lead for two laps. A third lap would have seen him leap ahead of at least one the leaders but emerged just centimetres adrift. However, the Williams was running heavier and getting by in the second round of stops was still feasible.

However, traffic and a lack of blue flags saw Webber drop seven seconds adrift, and while shouting of the radio to his team for the blue flags to be shown, the Cosworth engine said no more and expired on the exit of the pit lane following an exhaust problem.

"The first five minutes after the failure weren't good, I was not good to be with," Webber said. "We deserved something today but something on the electronics failed the engine or something.

"I was very quick in the slower part of the track, Alonso was playing around with the times and I could see that the Michelin runners had problems with the rears," he added. "Montoya was never a threat and Kimi also had his problem, so a great result has gone after a race that was basically qualifying laps for an hour."

Technical director Sam Michael has vowed to find a solution to the problem after Nico Rosberg also retired from a points-scoring position when an overheating exhaust caused an electronic failure on the car, keeping the German's throttle open because crashing at the Casino.

"It was a shame that both drivers had to stop the race due to exhaust failures," said Michael. "Up until then Mark was doing really well and he was in line for a strong second place.

"The car was really competitive and had a lot of fuel on board," he added. "The qualifying pace of the car was clearly good as well and we must get to the bottom of the exhaust problems that have affected us today and ensure they are fixed."

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Mosley: Schumi no cheat

Michael Schumacher should not be branded a cheat for the incident that stripped him of pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix, the head of Formula One's governing body said on Sunday. "I wouldn't go as far as to say it was cheating," FIA president Max Mosley told Reuters.

"You've got to take the thing in its context, in the heat of the moment when you are desperately trying to get on the front row of the grid and you've got a split second to take a decision."

Race stewards ruled on Saturday that Ferrari's seven times champion deliberately stopped at the slow penultimate corner of the track in the dying seconds of qualifying to prevent rivals from beating his time.

The decision to send Schumacher to the back of the field angered the driver and his team but Mosley defended the FIA-appointed stewards.

"The stewards have the advantage of having every detail, every piece of information and being able to know on previous laps where he braked, where he steered, accelerated, how quick he was going and so on," he said.

"Armed with all that information, they come to a conclusion," he added. "It took them several hours, they went into great detail, it's how it should be done. That's sport.

"If you reach the conclusion that someone has done something that they shouldn't do, you've got to react. We've got to try and keep the playing field level. But these situations are always difficult," said Mosley.

BIG DRAMA

The Briton defined what had happened as "a fairly small blip in the championship", a big drama at present but not in the overall scheme of things.

He recognised, however, that it had taken the edge off the showcase race of the season, depriving fans of a clash of champions between Renault's Fernando Alonso and Schumacher.

Alonso, the world champion who leads Schumacher by 15 points after six races, took over pole position in a race where overtaking is almost impossible.

Mosley rejected suggestions from Ferrari boss Jean Todt that the stewards had "no real evidence".

"It doesn't really stand up when they had all the telemetry, all the television images, listened to Michael and whatever he wanted to say... I don't think you could say they had no evidence," he said.

"I'm sure they did their utmost to be fair and they are fair-minded people."