Charles Leclerc, racing on his home turf, secured the fastest time in an incident-filled first practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix, despite an on-track collision with Lance Stroll.
Leclerc outpaced Max Verstappen by a narrow margin of 0.163 seconds. The session was marked by numerous traffic challenges on Monaco`s narrow streets, notably Lewis Hamilton`s dramatic near-miss with Kimi Antonelli`s Mercedes at the Swimming Pool chicane, which saw Hamilton briefly airborne.
The earlier incident involved Leclerc making contact with the rear of Stroll`s Aston Martin near the famous Turn 6 hairpin. Stroll had moved onto the racing line while Leclerc was on a fast lap.
The collision led to a brief red flag period, lasting about 10 minutes, as debris was cleared. Ferrari swiftly repaired Leclerc`s damaged front wing, allowing the local favorite to return to the track and set the fastest time, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Stroll was unable to continue in the session due to gearbox damage and was summoned to the stewards to account for his role in the incident.
This result is particularly promising for Ferrari, given that Monaco was not predicted to be their strongest circuit. Leclerc`s quick lap was set early in the session, suggesting he might have had even more pace.
Lando Norris of McLaren secured third place, approximately three tenths of a second behind Leclerc. Alex Albon from Williams impressed with a fourth-place finish, followed by Oscar Piastri (McLaren) in fifth, and George Russell (Mercedes) in sixth.
Despite earlier showing promising pace, Hamilton concluded the session in ninth, likely relieved to have avoided significant damage after several close encounters with traffic. He finished just behind Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine), with Gasly commenting that some drivers needed to “wake up” regarding traffic management.
Teams experimented with various tire compounds during the 60-minute practice. The upcoming race on Sunday is anticipated to be unpredictable due to a new rule requiring two mandatory pit stops.
While typically only two different tire compounds must be used during a race, this new regulation mandates the use of at least three tire sets over the 78 laps, with pit stops permitted at any point.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner remarked that the two-stop strategy could turn Sunday`s race into a “lottery,” influenced by safety car periods, weather conditions, and tactical decisions. He added that this rule would keep strategists highly engaged and introduce an extra dimension to the race.
Monaco Grand Prix Practice 1 Results
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:11.964 |
| 2) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.163 |
| 3) Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.326 |
| 4) Alex Albon | Williams | +0.350 |
| 5) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.378 |
| 6) George Russell | Mercedes | +0.518 |
| 7) Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.570 |
| 8) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.705 |
| 9) Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.726 |
| 10) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.763 |
| 11) Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.801 |
| 12) Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +1.015 |
| 13) Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +1.223 |
| 14) Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | +1.268 |
| 15) Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.365 |
| 16) Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +1.430 |
| 17) Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.465 |
| 18) Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | +1.506 |
| 19) Franco Colapinto | Williams | +1.856 |
| 20) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +3.671 |
Monaco Grand Prix: Upcoming Schedule
-
Friday May 23
- 2:05 PM: F2 Qualifying
- 3:00 PM: F1 Team Principals` Press Conference
- 3:45 PM: Monaco GP Practice Two
- 5:15 PM: The F1 Show
-
Saturday May 24
- 9:40 AM: F3 Sprint
- 11:15 AM: Monaco GP Practice Three
- 1:10 PM: F2 Sprint
- 2:10 PM: Monaco GP Qualifying build-up
- 3:00 PM: MONACO GP QUALIFYING
- 5:00 PM: Ted`s Qualifying Notebook
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Sunday May 25
- 6:55 AM: F3 Feature Race
- 8:35 AM: F2 Feature Race
- 12:30 PM: Grand Prix Sunday: Monaco GP build-up
- 2:00 PM: The MONACO GRAND PRIX
- 4:00 PM: Chequered Flag: Monaco GP reaction
- 5:00 PM: Ted`s Notebook
- 5:30 PM: The Indy 500
