F1 is back in Monaco, and you know what that means – It’s time for the most glamorous race on the calendar. What happened this Friday around the tight streets of Monaco? Join Supercars.com.GH to find out!
Free Practice 1
You already know that Monaco is not your ordinary Grand Prix, and we got signs of this as soon as the cars were let loose for FP1. Home favorite Charles Leclerc topped the session with a 1m 11.964s, but not without some early drama. Just minutes into the session, Leclerc had a minor lock-up at Mirabeau Haute, but his luck ran out shortly after when he collided with the back of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin at the hairpin, resulting in front wing damage for the Ferrari and a broken rear suspension for Stroll, bringing out the red flag.
When the session resumed, McLaren’s Lando Norris initially held the top spot before Leclerc improved to reclaim the lead, despite voicing frustration over his car’s balance, as we’ve become accustomed to by now. Max Verstappen ended up second, 0.163s off Leclerc’s pace, while Norris was third. A surprise strong performance came from Alex Albon, placing his Williams fourth, with Oscar Piastri completing the top five. The session also highlighted the perennial Monaco traffic issues, with several drivers complaining about slow cars hindering their laps. Hamilton and Piastri both had close calls with the barriers, showing off the unforgiving nature of the circuit.
Free Practice 2
Ferrari shows surprising form once again as they topped FP2 for the Monaco Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc completing a perfect Friday by setting the fastest time. His 1m 11.355s lap put him ahead of Oscar Piastri by a mere 0.038s, and teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished an impressive third, just over a tenth behind Leclerc. This marked a significant turnaround for Ferrari after their struggles at Imola.
The session was eventful, seeing two red flags. The first was caused by Isack Hadjar, who clipped a barrier at the Nouvelle Chicane, damaging his Racing Bulls car. Shortly after, championship leader Piastri brought out the second red flag by hitting the barrier head-on at Sainte Devote, though he managed to recover to the pits and finish second. Max Verstappen struggled with his Red Bull, complaining about upshifts and eventually finishing down in tenth. Liam Lawson put in a strong performance for Racing Bulls in fifth, while his teammate Hadjar, despite his earlier incident, finished sixth, though he later had another minor off. Overall, Ferrari and McLaren looked strong, while Red Bull appeared to be grappling with their car’s balance.
Will the Scudaria carry their form into day 2? Keep in touch with Supercars.com.GH to find out!