The Spanish driver has won at the principality for the last two years, although this season his chances look a lot slimmer as Renault have been unable to match the pace of Ferrari, BMW or McLaren.

But Alonso reckons that Monte Carlo could be a performance equaliser and he is hoping to achieve a strong result.

“We have progressed, but we are still behind Ferrari, McLaren and BMW,” the Spaniard said. “Even though Monaco is a circuit where the driver can really make the difference, a good car will always be an advantage and makes things easier.

This will be an interesting race, especially with the loss of traction control this year, and should provide a lot of incidents. In addition, the problems that McLaren was having in the slow corners in Turkey doesn’t bode well for them in Monaco.

The Finn was taken to hospital after he crashed at very high speed on lap 22 of the Barcelona race on Sunday when his McLaren’s left front wheel failed.

Kovalainen stayed in hospital overnight, although CT scans showed he had no head injuries or broken bones.

The McLaren driver underwent further checks this morning and, as they all went positively, he will be released from hospital later today.

“I have a slight headache and a stiff neck, but apart from that I am feeling well and in good spirits,” Kovalainen said on Monday.

The unusual nature of the accident – both drivers were accelerating on a straight section of track – prompted cynics to question whether Alonso had ‘brake tested’ his former team mate. Renault’s telemetry suggested otherwise, and McLaren say they have no suspicion of any wrongdoing on the part of the Spaniard.

Such a failure would have robbed Hamilton’s car of not only downforce, but also drag, giving it an unexpected burst of acceleration, explaining the unlikely impact.

I have to say that I am suprised, as I thought Hamilton just simply ran into Alonso when they both moved to the right.

Mike Coughlan was McLaren’s chief designer when a 780-page document of confidential Ferrari technical information was found at his home.

The Englishman was suspended by the team last year but remained on the staff for legal reasons.

A McLaren spokesman said: “The company has now terminated his employment.”

1. On the face of it, this is good news and would indicate that Ron Dennis will stay with Mclaren. This would be good news.
2. On the other hand, this could be similar to when the chairman (or owner) of sports teams indicates that the manager has their full support. When this happens, the manager is usually gone in a matter of weeks.

We need someone to stand up against Mosley and his ideas that are destroying Formula 1 racing.

Jarno Trulli has also been talking about how good the Toyota TF108 is this year. Given their budget, and the mandates coming from Japan, they need to do better. David Coulthard has also been discussing how good his Red Bull car is this year.

Given these discussions, here are my picks for 2008.

Drivers Championship

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Kimi Raikkonen
3. Felipe Massa
4. Heikki Kovalainen
5. Nico Rosberg

Constructors Championship

1. McLaren
2. Ferrari
3. Williams
4. BMW Sauber
5. Renault

McLaren appeared to have a slight edge over Ferrari on single-lap pace in the final pre-season test at Barcelona in Spain this week, although they may be slightly behind when it comes to race-distance runs.

A report in today’s Daily Mail by Pitpass contributors Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid reveals that, according to its latest accounts, the McLaren Group made a £2.3 million operating loss in 2006 – a huge crash from the previous year’s £14.3 million profit.

Lack of a title sponsor after tobacco brand West left the F1 team sent its revenues into reverse gear and the group’s turnover dropped to £206.6 million.

This is an interesting article.