The Monaco Grand Prix is always a race to remember. With Charles Leclerc leading the way after the opening session, a collision involving Lance Stroll and Lewis Hamilton going airborne, it looks like this trend is set to continue. Here’s how it all unfolded.
First Out on Track
Liam Lawson was the first Grand Prix car to take to the track for Racing Bulls. The New Zealander was swiftly followed by his teammate and a plethora of other drivers as everyone was keen to fully utilise the opening hour of practice.
Charles Leclerc had reverted to using last year’s rear wing for the Monaco Grand Prix. This is probably partly down to the cost cap in place in Formula 1. But it’s also because it was part of the strategy that worked for him in 2024, when he became the first Monegasque to win his home Grand Prix since Louis Chiron in 1931.
The Ferrari driver locked up going into Mirabeau. He went into the same escape road that’s been utilised by Schumacher and Rosberg in previous years, giving both German drivers a strategically convenient advantage in Qualifying.
Red Flag at the Monaco Grand Prix!
A yellow flag came out eight minutes into the session as Leclerc drove into the back of Lance Stroll.
The Canadian was moving to the right of the track into the Grand Hotel Hairpin after letting a Mercedes past him on a flying lap. Not seeing Leclerc coming towards him at speed, he darted back across the track, at which point Leclerc was unable to take avoiding action and ploughed into the back of him.
Leclerc sustained front wing damage as a result, as did the rear of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin. The session was then red flagged as marshals went about clearing up debris deposited around the circuit.
End of the Road for Stroll
Lance Stroll clambered out of the car looking dejected. It was unsure if he would re-join the session with forty five minutes left on the clock. The Canadian would not indeed return to FP1. The gearbox and the diffuser were among the items that needed to be replaced ahead of FP2.
Road to Recovery for Leclerc
Ferrari meanwhile were able to quickly fix Leclerc’a car and get him back out on track.
Both Ferrari cars seem to be struggling with front locking around the streets of Monte Carlo so far. But Hamilton and Leclerc were still able to put in respectable lap times. This is despite the Italian outfit not expecting a great weekend for themselves performance wise.
However, if Hamilton finishes the Grand Prix on Sunday on the podium, he’ll equal Ayrton Senna’s record of eight podium finishes in Monaco.
Lando Norris led the timing sheets at the halfway point. Hamilton and Leclerc were second and third with Piastri and Verstappen rounding out the top five.
“We are nowhere.” – Charles Leclerc
Turn 1 Drama and Close Calls
The Williams of Carlos Sainz went deep into Sainte Devote as he locked up going into that first corner. But some solid reversing skills got him back out on track safely and on the way again.
Lando Norris followed suit a few minutes later but was also able to recover back to the track and keep going.
Isack Hadjar nudged the wall coming out of the swimming pool and went straight into the pits for the damage to be repaired that he had sustained as a result.
Monaco Grand Prix Stats
The Monaco Grand Prix will be the 250th Grand Prix to be held since Fernando Alonso’s last win back in 2013.
Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri enters this weekend on a 33 Grand Prix consecutive point scoring streak. The Australian has also completed every lap of every Grand Prix since the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2023.
Cutting Corners and Learning to fly at the Monaco Grand Prix
Leclerc went back into the garage with fifteen minutes to go, believing there to be something wrong with the car. At this point, he was still at the top of the timesheets.
Hamilton and Norris both outbroke themselves heading into the Nouvelle Chicane, cutting it completely to avoid crashing into the barriers before heading down J.F Kennedy Avenue.
Lewis Hamilton was later attempting to avoid traffic coming out of the swimming pool chicane. As a result, he launched himself into the air over that corner in what made for an incredible freeze frame moment. The Britain went into the garage afterwards for the team to look over the car.
By the end of FP1, Charles Leclerc claimed first blood. Max Verstappen sat in second place with Lando Norris in third. The Williams of Alex Albon got as high as fourth place with the Championship Leader Oscar Piastri rounding out the top five.
*
Feature Image: Everything F1
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.