FORMULA 1 Live

10:30 That's time. First blood to Kimi Raikkonen whose 1:15.948 is the best of the morning. Lewis Hamilton second from Kovalainen and Massa.

10:28 A bit of a sideways moment for Nelson 'Not as good as his dad' Piquet.

10:25 Five minutes to go and it is now Kimi Raikkonen who leads the way with a 1:15.948. Hamilton second with Heikki Kovalainen third.

10:15 Something is also up with Nick Heidfeld, who is crouched behind his BMW looking underneath the car like a not-particularly-skilled mechanic.

10:14 More yellow flags out after Jarno Trulli says good morning to the barriers. He has dinged up his left rear tyre and suspension good and proper.

10:09 We're back under way. No time added to the session, by the way. Still schedule to end at 10.30 UK time.

09:58 Red flag! It appears a drain has come loose on the uphill section after turn one.

09:57 David Coulthard says he lost drive from his engine, which then cut out. Fair enough.

09:47 Lewis Hamilton has gone quickest with an impressive 1:16.612, two tenths better than Raikkonen. Monaco must be a tough track mentally. If you make a mistake you don't end up in a gravel trap - you pile into a sturdy barrier or the lobby of a five-star hotel.

09:41 David Coulthard has stopped on the exit from the tunnel, bringing yellow flags galore. It's a mechanical problem. We'll try to find out what is going on there.

09:31 Both Ferraris take to the track. Nico Rosberg is quickest with a 1:18.040 at the moment, a second and a half clear of Jarno Trulli. It won't last.

09:23 Not much going on after that early flurry. Sebastien Bourdais is the quicker of the two drivers to have completed a hot lap with a 1:22.219. The other Seb, Vettel, has a 1:22.354.

09:08 A nice day in the principality. 19 degrees, sunny and only a light breeze. And here's Michael Schumacher waving to the crowd and refusing TV interviews.

09:05 Lewis Hamilton has waxed lyrical about Monaco, and has a massive lockup through the chicane. No hot laps as yet, but a fair amount of action.

09:00 We're under way. These free practice sessions weigh in at a hefty 90 minutes, so it is good to see a number of cars taking to the track early.

- Welcome to Monaco for a rare Thursday free practice session. Time to get the obvious link out of the way - after last night's Russian roulette, it is appropriate that we now take to the riviera's casino-heavy millionaire's playground!