F1: Di Resta is put to test in Monaco

The 25-year-old Scot, driving his Force India racer round the tight Monte Carlo streets for the first time yesterday, safely negotiated morning practice, but just 35 minutes into the 90-minute afternoon session, his car ground to a halt as he exited the famous tunnel.

"It meant I didn't manage to run on the new super-soft tyres, which we'd planned to do later," said the Scot, 19th-quickest in the morning.

"But it was my first taste of Monaco in an F1 car and I was pretty happy with how things went this morning.

"As for all this talk about me possibly being one of the surprise names on the podium as a result of the strange strategies caused by the new tyres, that's just a bit unrealistic. But if we came away from here having scored points then we would be delighted."

At the head of the field, it was the usual suspects who dominated. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel topped the morning timesheets ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard was then fastest in the afternoon ahead of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren.

Alonso though — fifth in the championship, already 67 points behind Vettel who leads nearest challenger Hamilton by 41 — said: "It's only Thursday, so we need to see. We see Red Bull in Free Practice testing different things, and then on Saturday they are very strong. I expect them to be very competitive in qualifying and favourites for the race.

"But this is a very unique venue, so anything can happen. There is no room for mistakes."

Current world champ Vettel, meanwhile, is hopeful of adding to his four wins in the opening five grands prix this season.

"I have always liked this track, and I think that's important because it is a difficult one," said the 23-year-old.

"It is a place where the driver can make the difference, but on the other hand it is a long weekend.

"You need to have the confidence, and the car needs to be according to your liking. I don't think you need to have the quickest car but you need to feel comfortable.

"Yes, you need to be quick, but it is a different kind of track — similar to Singapore.

"It's a different technique. There is not a lot of room for errors, but you need to push very hard. And that is the key."