Charles Leclerc finished Friday`s second practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix at the top of the timings. His teammate Lewis Hamilton secured the third-fastest lap, capping an impressive day for Ferrari on the streets of Monaco.
Despite Leclerc`s earlier comments on Thursday suggesting Ferrari`s current car might not be as well-suited to Monaco`s slow-speed corners as last year`s model (with which he took pole position and victory at his home race), the Monegasque driver proved quickest in both practice sessions held on Friday.
Leclerc`s best lap time was 1:11.355 in the second session, which was interrupted twice by red flags due to crashes. He narrowly outpaced McLaren`s championship leader Oscar Piastri and his Ferrari teammate Hamilton.
“Ferrari are the big story,” noted commentators. “This is a very impressive day considering the expectations coming in.”
Oscar Piastri managed to split the two Ferraris with a quick lap late in the session. The Australian recovered well after a rare error saw him briefly hit the barriers at the first corner, Ste Devote.
The minor impact damaged Piastri`s front wing, but he was able to return to the pit lane for repairs. After rejoining, he steadily improved his lap time, finishing just 0.038 seconds behind Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton, a three-time winner in Monaco, was 0.105 seconds adrift of Leclerc in third place, suggesting a potentially more competitive weekend for him with the Scuderia.
Lando Norris was fourth in the second McLaren, ahead of the Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, who finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Hadjar`s strong position came despite touching the barriers on two occasions, once at the harbourside chicane and again at Ste Devote.
World champion Max Verstappen, winner of the previous race at Imola, finished only 10th, just 0.004 seconds ahead of his teammate Yuki Tsunoda in 11th. Verstappen, like many drivers, expressed frustration with traffic on the tight Monaco circuit, experiencing several near-misses with slower cars and running off track himself into the Ste Devote run-off area late on.
Verstappen felt that changes made to his car`s setup between the first and second practice sessions had sent them in the wrong direction. However, he remained optimistic, stating he was “quite confident” they would be significantly closer to the front by the time qualifying arrives.
“FP1 was quite positive then we made some changes for FP2 to see how far we could push the balance and I think we overdid it a little bit,” Verstappen commented.
“I couldn`t attack the corners anymore how I would like and then you are shredding a lot of pace and the lap time was not coming out of it. I don`t expect us to be the quickest but we want to be a lot closer than we were in FP2. But, I`m quite confident we can be a lot closer.”
Mercedes also appeared to face challenges, with their drivers finishing ninth (Kimi Antonelli) and 12th (George Russell).
Fernando Alonso secured seventh place for Aston Martin, while Alex Albon was eighth in the lead Williams.
Are Ferrari Poised for Success in Monaco?
While Charles Leclerc downplayed his prospects for a consecutive home victory in a season that has had few major highlights for Ferrari, Friday`s timing sheets suggested a promising start. The question remains whether they can maintain this pace and challenge for pole position in qualifying.
Reflecting on the data, experts suggested: “Looking at the speed traces and the sectors where they are quick, I think they might be running a little more power today compared to others. But still, the car looks good out on track and they are able to get their front tyre working, which is the key thing.”
Max Verstappen also acknowledged Ferrari`s performance, stating: “Ferrari again look very fast. McLaren were close behind but over the whole season, the pace, Ferrari have taken a big step forward here.”
Despite the strong showing, pacesetter Leclerc remained cautious. “I`m not convinced [about our pace yet],” he emphasized. “Friday in Monaco is always very special, very specific. I think everyone is taking their reference. It`s too early to feel very positive about the weekend.”
