Strong Start for Ferrari at Home

Charles Leclerc delighted the home crowd by topping the timesheets in the first practice session for the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver clocked a lap time of 1:13.978, securing a 1-2 finish for the Scuderia alongside his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. This performance reinforces the paddock's expectations that the SF-26, with its superior handling in slow-speed corners, is the car to beat on the tight Monte Carlo street circuit.


Leclerc's session was not without minor drama, as he had an early scare locking up into the Turn 5 escape road while running on hard tires. Despite this, the Monegasque driver quickly regained his rhythm to lead the field.


A Session Defined by Red Flags

Practice was interrupted twice by red flags, hindering the teams' ability to gather consistent data. The first stoppage occurred when Isack Hadjar, testing for Red Bull, lost control at the Turn 15-16 chicane. Hadjar slid across the kerbs and slammed into the barriers, marking his second significant crash in just three race weekends.


Following a brief resumption, the session was halted again by Fernando Alonso. The Aston Martin driver clipped the barriers at the chicane, scattering debris across the track and effectively ending the competitive running for the field.


Performance Across the Grid

While Mercedes showed competitive pace earlier in the session, with Kimi Antonelli briefly holding the fastest time, they were unable to match the ultimate speed of the Ferraris on medium tires. Max Verstappen managed to salvage the third-fastest time for Red Bull, despite struggling with tire degradation throughout the opening stint. Reflecting on his session, Verstappen noted: «my tyres are just dead».


The final classification for the top ten was as follows:

  • Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
  • Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
  • Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
  • Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
  • George Russell (Mercedes)
  • Lando Norris (McLaren)
  • Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
  • Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
  • Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
  • Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

McLaren appeared to be operating on a different program, finishing outside the top five, while the Haas duo of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman found themselves struggling with the heavy traffic typical of the narrow Monaco layout.