First practice in Monaco was dry throughout, but by the time second practice came around the weather was beginning to turn. Thirty minutes in and a quick shower forced teams to try the wet tyres for a change.

Mercedes had a reasonably productive day, and finished running 6th and 10th overall. Nico Rosberg was marginally ahead of his teammate and said: "It took a bit of a time to find the right rhythm for the circuit but it worked out well, even though we did not run very much in the afternoon because of the bad weather."

Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher was feeling a lot better about things after some good running: "The weather was mixed today, which made it hard to make any firm conclusions, but basically my feeling with the car on this circuit was positive."

Michael has previously been the centre of the latest tyre debate, after questioning whether they were playing too much of a role in the racing action. However, Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn relishes the challenge:

"You either can complain about it, or keep your head down and do a better job than anyone else. That is what we are faced with, because the tyres will not change dramatically this year.

"What is fascinating is seeing cars for some of the race look very ordinary, and then suddenly they come into the window and become quite extraordinary. It is a very interesting challenge."