The principality of Monaco glistened in the sunlight as FP1 got underway. Drivers struggled to adapt to the lack of active aero, with lock ups and accidents throughout. However, a decent day for Ferrari, who led the way with a 1,2 finish.
Trouble for the hometown hero on his first lap.
First out of the pitlane was the Cadillac of Perez. Only 1 minute into the session and Charles Leclerc locked up and headed for the run off area. The Ferrari driver struggled with low grip on his first lap around his home town. However, his team mate looked good in the first set of runs Hamilton topped the times with a 1.15.617.
Image: Formula 1 X
McLaren Monaco rear wing upgrade.
McLaren started the session testing their new rear wing with extra winglets to increase downforce due to having no active aero in Monaco. In the early runs, Piastri and Norris sat P4 and P5 respectively. Aston Martin struggled in the early laps as Stroll reentered the pits after only 1 lap.
Image: Formula 1 X
Traffic causes problems
Once again, as it always in the city of glitz and glamour, traffic caused problems for many drivers in FP1. Esteban Ocon was unimpressed by his teammate Ollie Bearman A brief yellow flag was waved as Lewis Hamilton locked up at Sainte Devote.
Image: Formula 1 X
Virtual Safety Car deployed
With 30 minutes remaining, marshals entered the track to retrieve a piece of Gasly’s car under VSC condition. Ferrari looked strong with Leclerc and Hamilton leading over half a second to Antonelli. Leclerc had a few close calls with the barrier searching for time but managed to keep the car intact.
Image: Formula 1 X
Red Flag as Hadjar hits the wall
With 25 minutes left in the session, Isack Hadjar slid into the wall on the exit of the swimming pool chicane which resulted in a red flag. Extensive damage was done due to the heavy impact but thankfully Hadjar was ok. An unusual accident for sure, however Lando Norris managed to save himself from a similar accident the lap before.
Image: Formula 1 X
Exceptional work from the Monaco Marshals.
The track team in Monaco were exceptional as minimal time was lost over the red flag. Once the lights were green, action on track resumed with Antonelli topping the times with a 1:14:537. A frustrated Verstappen struggled with his release pedal as he announced over team radio. Drivers were trying to get used to driving their toughest challenge of the year with the new regulations with Leclerc locking up.
Session ends on a red flag
The Ferrari pair continued to show decent pace as they continued to switch positions in P1 and P2. Leclerc put in a stellar 1:13:978 lap which led to cheers from the home crowd. The session ended with a red flag caused by Fernando Alonso hit the wall. Teams however had enough time for a practice start.
Top 5
- Charles Leclerc
- Lewis Hamilton
- Max Verstappen
- Kimi Antonelli
- George Russell.