Practice 1 Report - Leclerc leads Ferrari Monaco FP1

Lewis Hamilton
© Ferrari

Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari an ideal start to his home weekend by leading a Ferrari one-two in a disrupted opening practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Monegasque driver set a best lap of 1m13.978s late in the session to finish 0.226s clear of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, confirming the strong pace many expected from Ferrari on the tight streets of Monte Carlo. Max Verstappen completed the top three for Red Bull, 0.513s off the benchmark.

Leclerc’s session was not entirely trouble-free. Early on he locked up and ran onto the escape road at Sainte Devote, but the Ferrari driver quickly recovered and remained among the pace-setters throughout the hour.

Traffic was a constant issue as teams worked through their programmes on a circuit where finding clear track is always difficult. Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman were among those frustrated as their laps were repeatedly compromised.

Mercedes initially looked Ferrari’s closest challenger. Andrea Kimi Antonelli briefly moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1m14.537s lap on medium tyres, while George Russell also featured near the front. Ferrari delayed its switch to medium tyres and spent time in the garage before making its decisive late-session run.

The first interruption came with 25 minutes remaining when Isack Hadjar crashed at the Nouvelle Chicane. The Red Bull driver clipped the kerbs and slid into the barriers, bringing out a red flag. After a short stoppage, running resumed and Ferrari immediately demonstrated its pace.

Hamilton moved to the top before Leclerc became the first driver to break into the 1m13s bracket. Neither Mercedes nor Verstappen could respond, leaving Ferrari comfortably ahead.

A second red flag effectively ended meaningful running when Fernando Alonso damaged his Aston Martin after brushing the barriers and scattering debris across the track.

Antonelli finished fourth ahead of Russell, while McLaren had a relatively subdued session. Lando Norris was sixth and Oscar Piastri eighth, separated by Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi. Gabriel Bortoleto and Pierre Gasly completed the top 10.