Button improves in Monaco practice

Jenson Button was fastest in practice for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix after a rain-affected second session on Thursday.

Button's time of one minute 15.746 seconds, 0.392 seconds quicker than second-fastest Grosjean, set the early pace in the Prinicpality after Fernando Alonso, in his Ferrari, was quickest in the first practice session, which was cut short by nine minutes after Heikki Kovalainen suffered engine problems. Behind Grosjean in third was Felipe Massa in his Ferrari, while team-mate Alonso was fouth overall after the second session was disrupted by showers. Williams driver Pastor Maldonado, who ran on the faster 'super-soft' tyre like Button, was fifth fastest, ahead of Nico Rosberg's Mercedes and Red Bull's Mark Webber. Kamui Kobayashi was eighth fastest, ahead of Rosberg's team-mate Michael Schumacher and world champion Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull.