VALTTERI Bottas is determined to break his duck at Monaco this weekend by finishing among the points at Formula 1’s famous street circuit for the first time.

The Finn, who drives for the Grove-based Williams team, has failed to make the top ten in his three previous races in the principality.

It is something Bottas, who has finished in the points at every race so far this season, is aiming to put right tomorrow.

He said: “Monaco is a unique grand prix and really challenging as a track for the drivers, especially mentally, as you have to keep focused for the whole race distance and a good qualifying lap is crucial.

“It’s a nice feeling when you do a neat lap there.

“I’m still missing my first points in Monaco, so I’m looking forward to being able to achieve that.”

Like Bottas, teammate Felipe Massa lives in Monaco, so is looking forward to the transformation from everyday road to racetrack.

He said: “It’s pretty amazing to see the tight roads, and then we go racing there at 300kph.

“It’s always a very difficult race.”

Renault driver Jolyon Palmer echoes their enthusiasm for the street circuit and cannot wait to return to one of his favourite tracks.

The British rookie is still waiting to get off the mark in Formula 1 for the Enstone-based team, but has enjoyed success in Monaco before, having twice triumphed in the GP2 Series.

Palmer, in his maiden season, is still waiting for his first points – teammate Kevin Magnussen is responsible for Renault’s six points so far – but is hopeful.

“I love Monaco,” he said. “It’s tight and twisty and the barriers are so close – there’s no room for error.

“To put everything together and to win in Monaco is the biggest challenge in Formula 1.”

Banbury's Haas team were put through their paces in the second free practice session on Thursday, after Romain Grosjean crashed.

But his car was repaired in time and with teammate Esteban Gutiérrez they completed 121 laps across the sessions ahead of qualifying today.