Monaco GP 2024
MAY 25, 2024
Practice 3 Report - Leclerc still fastest
© Ferrari
Charles Leclerc showcased his dominance in the final practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix, setting the fastest time. The Monegasque driver’s superb lap on his second set of soft tires put him at the top of the leaderboard, with championship leader Max Verstappen trailing by nearly 0.2 seconds.
Leclerc's performance contrasted with the struggles of his Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz. Although Sainz initially secured second place during the first runs, he dropped to seventh after failing to improve on his second set of soft tires, finishing over 0.6 seconds behind Leclerc.
Red Bull’s Verstappen demonstrated significant improvement from FP2, suggesting that the team had turned up the Power Unit. Verstappen’s pace in the first sector was unmatched, but he lost time in the slower second sector, ultimately finishing second. The Dutchman voiced his concerns about the car’s balance, saying, “more laps than this and I’m going to end up in the wall!” His teammate, Sergio Pérez, battled rear-end stability issues and was outside the top ten until his final lap, which propelled him to fifth place, just over a third of a second behind Verstappen.
Mercedes continued to be competitive, with Lewis Hamilton clocking the third fastest time, though he was more than 0.35 seconds behind Leclerc. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri secured fourth place despite some driver errors, while Lando Norris ended up eighth after encountering traffic during one of his quickest laps.
Yuki Tsunoda impressed by breaking the 1m12s barrier and maintaining a top-ten position, finishing ninth. His teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, struggled with confidence in the car and ended up 18th.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten, while teammate Lance Stroll finished 15th. Pierre Gasly provided a morale boost for Alpine by setting the 11th fastest time, outperforming much of the midfield. Sauber had a challenging session, with Valtteri Bottas crashing at Rascasse and Zhou Guanyu finishing last, a second off the pace of his nearest competitor.