FP1: Hamilton leads Piastri and Russell in interrupted Monaco practice

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Lewis Hamilton dominated the opening practice session at the Monaco Grand Prix, leading Oscar Piastri and George Russell. As the European season speeds up, teams moved quickly from Imola to the historic Monte Carlo street circuit.

Check out the results of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, including the race results, qualifying times, and practice sessions

Monaco’s tight, barrier-lined track emphasizes building confidence through practice sessions. Early on, various drivers, including Ferraris, McLarens, and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, traded fastest laps on hard and medium tyres. Verstappen found his RB20 on a “knife edge,” narrowly avoiding barriers multiple times.

With 15 minutes left, Zhou Guanyu crashed at Sainte Devote, scattering debris and halting runs on soft tyres. Hamilton capitalized, setting a 1m 12.169s lap, just 0.029s ahead of Piastri.

Russell finished third, followed by Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll placed sixth and seventh, with Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo, and Carlos Sainz completing the top 10.

Red Bull’s session featured more issues, with Verstappen P11 and a punctured Sergio Perez P12. Alpine struggled, with Esteban Ocon in P18 and Pierre Gasly, plagued by power unit issues, in P20.

Teams will analyze FP1 data before second practice at 1700 local time. For more details, visit the Race Hub.

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