Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the first free practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix on Friday. The 39-year-old, driving for Mercedes, clocked the fastest lap with a time of 1:12.169 on soft tyres. McLaren’s 23-year-old Oscar Piastri, also on softs, narrowly missed out on the top spot, finishing just 0.029 seconds behind Hamilton.
Mercedes’ George Russell posted the third-fastest time, while McLaren’s Lando Norris secured fourth. Red Bull’s championship leader Max Verstappen had a challenging session, encountering several brushes with the barriers. He finished 11th, 0.815 seconds off Hamilton’s pace, without setting a quick lap on the soft compound. Verstappen complained over the radio about the car’s instability, saying, “The car is so loose on the bumps. Any interaction with engine braking or brake bias, it’s just making it all worse.”
Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, faced his own difficulties, suffering a puncture and finishing 12th fastest. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who is second overall in the standings but has yet to podium in his home race, was fifth fastest. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso followed in sixth, ahead of his Canadian teammate Lance Stroll.
AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo lapped eighth and ninth fastest respectively, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz completing the top 10.
The session was interrupted with 15 minutes remaining when Sauber’s Guanyu Zhou clipped the tyre wall, scattering debris on the track. Leclerc ran over some of the debris, causing damage to his Ferrari.
Verstappen leads the championship by 48 points after winning five of the season’s seven races. The Dutch driver, who won in Monaco last year, has also qualified on pole for a record-equalling eight consecutive races, including seven this season.
Saturday’s qualifying session is anticipated to be more thrilling than the race itself, which is often processional and heavily influenced by grid positions.
