Monte Carlo (Monaco): Formula One champion Fernando Alonso began a bid for his first victory in the Monaco Grand Prix by posting the fastest time in Thursday's opening practice.
Alonso timed 1 minute, 16.712 seconds on the narrow, twisting street circuit.
Usually test drivers are the fastest in the opening practice, but Alonso showed he is determined to gain his first victory on a course where his best finish was a modest fourth last year.
The Spaniard has won three of the six races this season, with two victories for seven-time champion Michael Schumacher and one for Alonso's Renault teammate Giancarlo Fisichella.
Fisichella was third in 1:16.888, just behind test driver Anthony Davidson in a Honda clocking 1:16.872.
Alonso has a solid lead in this season's standings, 54-39 over Schumacher and the pair have taken the first two places in the last three races.
Schumacher has not won at Monte Carlo since 2001 and remains stuck on five victories. He was fourth in the first practice at 1:16.973.
Kimi Raikkonen, who is hoping to pull off a double, ran just three laps and was forced out of the practice with a heat shield problem.
A victory at the Monaco Grand Prix would be his second straight in FormulaOne's most prestigious race, an apt way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of McLaren-Mercedes' first race in F1.
No driver has won two in a row here since Michael Schumacher did it in 1994 and 1995.
A sixth win here for Schumacher would match the late Ayrton Senna. But to do it, Schumacher will have to overcome a string of bad luck.
Seventh last year, in 2004 Schumacher was involved in a crash with Juan Pablo Montoya. He finished third in 2003, which came in the middle of four wins over five races. He had a four-race victory streak stopped in 2002.
The race is unusual.
Thursday's first practice on the traditional Ascension Day holiday will be followed by a day off on Friday.
Another practice and qualifying are set for Saturday.
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