Hamilton leads interrupted opening practice in Monaco
In a bustling start to the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets in Friday’s opening free practice session (FP1). Hamilton led the charge ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and his teammate George Russell as the European season of Formula 1 continues at a relentless pace.
Fresh off an exhilarating weekend at Imola, teams swiftly transported their equipment to the historic streets of Monte Carlo, a circuit featured on Formula 1’s inaugural calendar back in 1950. Known for its tight, twisty, barrier-lined circuit with minimal margin for error, building driver confidence through FP1, FP2, and FP3 is crucial ahead of Monaco's critical qualifying session.
Initially, several drivers spent time at the top of the timesheets during the first half of the session. Ferraris, McLarens, and Max Verstappen's Red Bull consistently lowered the benchmark on hard and medium tires as they regained their rhythm. However, Verstappen quickly realized the weekend might be "more difficult" than anticipated, with his RB20 operating on a "knife edge," narrowly avoiding barriers at Sainte Devote, Tabac, and the Piscine complex.
The session took a dramatic turn with around 15 minutes remaining when Zhou Guanyu's Kick Sauber lost control at Sainte Devote, striking the wall and scattering debris across the track. Charles Leclerc dramatically drove over some of this debris, bringing an abrupt end to ongoing efforts on soft tires.
Timing proved crucial for Hamilton, whose fastest lap of 1m 12.169s came just before the interruption, placing him 0.029s ahead of Piastri, who appeared to back off towards the finish line. Russell clocked in third, a tenth behind Hamilton, followed closely by Lando Norris in the other McLaren and local favorite Leclerc. Leclerc, after addressing some floor checks in the garage, set his best time on medium tires, securing fifth position.
Aston Martin and Red Bull drivers followed closely, with Fernando Alonso narrowly ahead of teammate Lance Stroll. The resurgent Yuki Tsunoda outpaced Daniel Ricciardo, with Carlos Sainz rounding out the top ten in his Ferrari.
Read next ❯ Ferrari to reveal Hamilton's debut F1 car on February 19 at MaranelloFor Red Bull, the session was marred by radio complaints from reigning world champion Verstappen and a puncture for Sergio Perez, who ended in 11th and 12th positions, respectively, on medium tires. Valtteri Bottas's Kick Sauber and the Williams and Haas entries followed them.
Alpine struggled during this opening hour, with Esteban Ocon reporting severe bouncing and Pierre Gasly facing power unit issues, rendering him largely garage-bound and ending the session in P20, with Ocon in P18 and Zhou between them.
With FP1 in the books, drivers and their teams will now analyze the data intensively before heading back on track for the second practice session.
This report encapsulates the essence and outcomes of FP1 in Monaco, providing a detailed and professional recap of the session.
