MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Jarno Trulli set the fastest time in the opening day of practice Thursday for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix, but things slowed down for him once he climbed out of the cockpit of his Renault. It took him a long time to make his way to the team's hospitality area. Once there, however, he was happy to talk about his day, the Monaco circuit and his prospects for qualifying and the race.

Because of the cramped conditions in Monaco, many of the teams have to work out of their transporters in a parking garage about half-mile from the paddock that contains their hospitality motor homes. It took Trulli a long time to walk from the pits to the team's transporter, where he conferred with his engineers, and then back to the motor home.

	Jarno Trulli drives his Renault during Thursday's free practice at the Monte Carlo circuit.

"To walk up and to walk down takes ages because there are a lot of supporters along the way who stop you for autographs, so it takes a long time," he said as he sat down at table.

Trulli's best qualifying spot so far this season was sixth in Brazil. He's not sure he can hang onto the top spot in qualifying Saturday, but his confidence level is high.

"I am happy because the car is running well," he said. "It feels good on this circuit. It was well balanced straight away from the morning, and everything is easier when you start already from the first day with a good balance. So I am pretty happy and confident for the rest of the weekend."

Michelin-shod cars had the advantage in Thursday's practice, as the only car on Bridgestone tires in the top 10 was Giancarlo Fisichella's Jordan in fourth place.

"Michelin is doing really a good job at the moment," Trulli said, "but we have to wait until Saturday until we can see how competitive they are and how competitive we are. But it is looking good."

At one stage during practice, Trulli's Renault was the quickest car through the speed trap, which is just after the cars come screaming out of the tunnel and just before the hard braking for the chicane along the harbor front. A year ago at this time the Renault V10 was, to put it kindly, slow. Trulli didn't drive for the team last year, but he acknowledges how much it has improved.

"That was a good surprise," he said of his speed. "But we have a good car, which should be good here. The engine is small and light and low in the car. The chassis is well made. Aerodynamically the car has improved a lot through the season, and the Michelins are working well. Plus, I like this circuit, so everything is looking good. We have got the package."

Like many of the drivers, Trulli has a bit of a love/hate relationship with the infamous Monaco street circuit. It's out-dated, dangerous, thrilling, wonderful and unique.

"It is definitely not a circuit for Formula One, and I am not saying that we should always race here," Trulli said. "But I do like it. It is a tricky track. The driver here can make more of a difference compared to the other tracks. Because it is tricky, because it is tight, you need to react very quickly though the corners; you need to play a lot with the steering wheel. You need to find a good set-up compromise for the chassis, which is not so easy to find. There are walls and guardrails all around, so it is definitely not the safest circuit in the world."

For Trulli, the most thrilling parts of the 19-turn 2.094-mile circuit are the quick swerves around the swimming pool, where the cars are going over 100 mph as they dodge through the blind turns and nearly skim off the walls.

"Here you have to be on the limit on every lap," Trulli said. "You get closer and closer to the walls and guardrails. On this track you are not allowed to make a mistake. If you do a mistake, you are out. So you need a high level of concentration."

You need concentration in the slow turns as well. Kimi Raikkonen and Alex Yoong both crashed heavily in the Rascasse hairpin, which the drivers approach at 120 mph and then brake down to 35 mph.

"I feel like I am flying there," Trulli said of the hairpin. "Not because of the speed, but because it doesn't feel like the car is on the ground. I feel like I am floating because it slides too much. That corner is so slippery at the entry."

F1 rules now permit fully automatic gearboxes. Thus, instead of the driver having to flick a paddle behind the steering wheel to change gears up or down, the computer does it all. For Monaco, however, Trulli prefers using the steering wheel paddles to change gears because he feels it helps keep the car more stable on a track where the car is changing direction so often.

"I have been testing all last week using the manual paddles to get the feeling back, both up and down shifting," he said. "Doing this is maybe not an advantage, but in circumstances like here, it might be better in terms of calming down the car's handling because you can change gears early. This is not a typical track. You have to play around and try to find a compromise."

F1 rules also now permit traction control, and not having to use any finesse on the throttle to prevent wheel spin as you exit the corners, Trulli said, has taken some of the skill level out of being fast around Monaco.

"The difference between a good driver and a not-so-good driver is smaller," he said. "It is easier now."

In Trulli's five previous appearances in Monaco he started on the front row in 2000 in a Jordan but has never finished in the top six.

Will that all turn around this weekend?

"We didn't perform as we should only in Austria, where we struggled a little bit," Trulli said. "At all the other circuits we were competitive, and we should be more or less competitive everywhere. Monaco maybe will be better, but we don't know."

Dan Knutson covers Formula One for National Speed Sport News.