The first day in Monaco lived up to expectations of a closely fought battle at the front of the grid, but ultimately ended with one team standing out from the rest. Ferrari topped both practice sessions held on Friday around the streets of Monte Carlo, with Charles Leclerc setting the pace in FP1 and Lewis Hamilton finishing the day fastest in FP2. The Italian team’s performance places the Scuderia among the leading contenders for pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix.
From the opening laps, the start of proceedings in Monte Carlo suggested Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes would be the key players on Friday. However, while their rivals showed flashes of pace throughout the sessions, Ferrari was the only team able to keep both drivers consistently at the sharp end of the timesheets.
The combination of a well-balanced car, driver confidence and rapid adaptation to track conditions allowed Ferrari to end Friday with plenty of reasons to feel optimistic ahead of qualifying.
Leclerc Leads Ferrari One-Two on the First Day in Monaco
The opening practice session saw Charles Leclerc emerge as the standout performer. Racing in front of his home crowd, the Monegasque driver posted a 1m13.978s lap to lead a Ferrari one-two, with Lewis Hamilton securing second place. Max Verstappen completed the top three.
The opening stages of the session featured a closely contested battle between Hamilton and Verstappen. Both drivers briefly occupied the top spot on hard tyres, but the picture changed once Leclerc began pushing the limits of the circuit and steadily lowered his lap times.
Ferrari displayed strong pace throughout the session and quickly established itself as the benchmark. Leclerc looked particularly confident attacking the kerbs and barriers of Monte Carlo, a crucial factor on a circuit where every hundredth of a second can prove decisive.
Despite Ferrari’s comfortable advantage, Friday was not without drama. Leclerc ran wide at Mirabeau early in the session but escaped without damage. Several other drivers also struggled to find the limit of the challenging street circuit.
The first red flag was triggered when Isack Hadjar lost control of his car on the exit of the Swimming Pool section and hit the barriers. The incident halted the session briefly while marshals cleared the track.
Later, Fernando Alonso crashed on the exit of the tunnel and was forced to end his participation early. Even with the interruptions, Ferrari maintained control of the session and finished FP1 occupying the top two positions.
Hamilton Ends the First Day in Monaco on Top in FP2
While Leclerc starred in the opening session, the second practice session belonged to Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time World Champion recorded a 1m13.026s lap to top FP2 and ensure Ferrari concluded the first day in Monaco with another session victory.
The second session proved more competitive between Ferrari and Red Bull. Verstappen challenged the Ferrari drivers for much of the running, particularly on medium tyres. The reigning World Champion briefly topped the timesheets and showed enough pace to remain firmly in contention.
Leclerc once again featured among the frontrunners and spent part of the session at the top of the order. Hamilton, meanwhile, steadily improved as track conditions evolved and drivers began extracting more performance from their cars.
The afternoon session was briefly interrupted after a mechanical issue left Lando Norris stranded on track. Running resumed quickly, allowing teams to continue their programmes uninterrupted.
As the session entered its second half, most drivers switched to soft tyres. It was at this stage that Ferrari once again demonstrated its strength. Leclerc moved to the top of the order before Hamilton responded moments later with what would become the fastest lap of the day.
In the closing minutes, Sergio Pérez triggered another red flag after stopping at Casino Square following a small fire on one of his front brakes. The incident effectively brought the session to an early conclusion and marked the end of Friday’s running.
What the First Day in Monaco Suggests for the Rest of the Weekend
Friday’s results suggest Ferrari enters qualifying in a highly favourable position. The team demonstrated consistency in a variety of track conditions, showing strong pace on both medium and soft compounds while sharing the session honours between Leclerc and Hamilton.
Although Verstappen remained close to the frontrunners at times, Red Bull still appears to be searching for the ideal setup around the streets of Monaco. Mercedes also showed encouraging signs, but could not consistently match Ferrari once the lap times began to fall.
Historically, the first day in Monaco often provides important clues regarding the battle for pole position. On a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult, starting from the front of the grid can offer a significant strategic advantage for Sunday’s race.
For that reason, Ferrari’s performance is particularly noteworthy. The team topped both sessions, demonstrated a strong overall pace and ended Friday with the feeling that it currently possesses one of the most competitive packages on the grid.
With Leclerc inspired by the home crowd and Hamilton continuing to grow in confidence behind the wheel, the first day in Monaco could hardly have ended better for the Scuderia. Attention now turns to qualifying, which promises to be one of the most competitive sessions of the season.
Another noteworthy aspect of the first day in Monaco was a specific regulation introduced by the FIA for this weekend. Unlike most circuits on the calendar, Monte Carlo will not feature the use of the active aerodynamics system. According to the FIA, the circuit does not contain a sufficiently long straight to allow the device to be activated.
As a result, the cars will compete throughout the weekend with fixed front and rear wing configurations. The measure places even greater emphasis on mechanical setup, low-speed corner grip and driver confidence when attacking the limits of the iconic street circuit.
