Friday news briefs from Monaco

(GMM) On 13 occasions in the history of formula one, a driver has won four of the opening four races of a season. In all cases, the championship leader in question has gone on to become world champion. "Sounds great to me," Jenson Button, the latest driver to achieve the four-out-of-five feat, said in Monaco. "It's a great stat but there are 12 races to go," the Brawn driver added.

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Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton finally broke his habit of the last few races and at Monaco agreed to sit down with the English-speaking media on the opening day of a grand prix. "Sorry I haven't been available to talk recently," the McLaren driver told the assembled reporters, explaining that the 'lie-gate' affair had knocked the wind out of him. "It's not that I felt the need to distance myself. It was more about taking some time to think on things, analyze and understand exactly what's gone wrong and to grow from it," he added.

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In a fit of candor, Sir Frank Williams admitted frustration that despite usually topping the practice timesheets, the Grove-built FW31 ceases being a frontrunner in qualifying and the races. "Yeah, the word is showboating perhaps," the 67-year-old said in Monaco. Team officials have until now explained the practice pace as the result of focusing on low-fuel qualifying trim sooner than other teams. But Williams noted: "You can fool people, including yourself." However, after topping Thursday's second practice session, Nico Rosberg said: "I have a feeling that we are quicker than normal and we are going to drop back less."