Length: 3.340 km
Number of Laps: 78 (260.520 Km)
Best Lap: M. Schumacher - 1'14''439 (2004, Ferrari)
Record Pole: J. Tarno - 1'13''985 (2004, Renault)
2005 Pole: F. Alonso - 1'16''281 (Renault)
2005 Podium: K. Raikkonen - N. Heidfeld - M. Webber

The streets if the glamorous principality echoed once again to the sound of Formula One engines as Renault, title leaders and reigning champions, confirmed their expected front running status with a fastest time (1:16.712) for Fernando Alonso, and third fastest for Giancarlo Fisichella, just over one tenth behind.

Splitting the two Renaults was customary Friday front runner Anthony Davidson, the Englishman completing a massive 30 laps for Honda, ending up just shy of Alonso on 1:16.872. Team mates Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello limited their running but still recorded top ten times, eighth and tenth respectively.

In fourth place was Michael Schumacher, the driver most feared by Renault this weekend, the German within quarter of a second of Alonso after only eight laps, while the second Ferrari of Felipe Massa ran a similarly limited session to finish 14th.

Juan Pablo Montoya was the only McLaren driver to set a time in fifth fastest position, Kimi Raikkonen keeping his running to one exploratory lap at the very end of the session, while Robert Kubica impressed once again in the BMW-Sauber with sixth place, despite stopping on the circuit in the dying seconds of the hour long session.

Alexander Wurz, as has become customary, was fastest of the Williams trio in seventh, race drivers Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber lining up 12th and 13th, while Robert Doornbos again put in the miles for Red Bull Racing to net ninth. The Red Bull race drivers, David Coulthard and Christian Klien, managed 11th and 18th respectively.

Toyota, with the new TF106 ‘b’ spec car, still appear to be struggling somewhat, Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher running a similar pace to 15th and 16th, while BMW-Sauber showed little promise other than Kubicas time, Jacques Villeneuve 17th and Nick Heidfeld opting not to complete a lap.

Neil Jani ran to 19th for Toro Rosso, the expected advantage of the V10 not showing up so far with sister cars of Tonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed in 22nd and 23rd places, while the Midland M16’s still show no signs of much improvement, Giorgio Mondini fastest of the trio in 20th, Tiago Monteiro 21st and Christijan Albers 24th.

The final two times go to the Super Aguri runners, with Takuma Sato and Franck Montagny both finding the cars a handful around the streets, some four and a half seconds off the front running pace.