Alonso to miss Monaco qualifying

Fernando Alonso's Ferrari
12 April 2012

Fernando Alonso will miss today's qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix following his smash in final practice.

Alonso had been quickest at the end of Thursday's two 90-minute sessions, suggesting he would challenge Red Bull Racing's domination this season as the team have been on pole in all five previous races.

But the damage sustained to his Ferrari by the shunt 23 minutes into the hour-long run has been deemed too extensive to repair in time for qualifying that starts at 1pm BST.

"He's not doing qualifying and will start (tomorrow's race) from the pit lane," confirmed a Ferrari spokesman. "The damage is too excessive and we need to change the chassis, which we cannot do in two hours."

Alonso lost control of his car at the top of the hill at Massenet heading into Casino Square, hitting a barrier flush on his right side.

That forced his front wheel to separate from its tether and bounce along the track, with the car eventually coming to rest nestled alongside the metal armco.

The speed of the marshals at Monte Carlo makes them amongst the world's best because within a minute the Ferrari was being lifted off the circuit.

The 28-year-old's on-board camera provided excellent footage, notably with shots of the famed Hotel de Paris as the car gently spun through the air.

On his return to the garage Alonso admitted the accident was his fault as he "lost the car".

Renault's Robert Kubica was quickest in final practice ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Red Bull's Mark Webber.

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