With Leclerc, Ferrari sets the pace in the first free practice at the Monaco GP
Ferrari made its mark early in the preparation for the Monaco Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc being the fastest in the first free practice this Friday, just ahead of his teammate, Lewis Hamilton.
After five rounds of Mercedes dominance, the return to Europe on the principality's winding street circuit was seen as an opportunity for rival teams to level the playing field.
The early signs were encouraging, with local favorite Leclerc, winner in 2024 and runner-up last year, delighting home fans with the fastest lap in one minute and 13.978 seconds.
Hamilton, three-time champion in Monaco and still searching for his first victory since joining Ferrari before the start of last season, embraced the glamor of the Monaco race in a dazzling bright pink helmet and finished second, 0.226 seconds behind.
P1 in FP1 for home hero, Charles Leclerc
It's a Ferrari 1-2 in the first hour of practice in Monaco #F1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/GiEwQvlVbe
- Formula 1 (@F1) June 5, 2026
Monaco's relatively slow corners and lack of long straights were expected to negate the power advantage of Mercedes, which has won all five races this season.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was fourth quickest, 0.559 seconds slower, with his Mercedes team-mate George Russell fifth, 1.005 seconds behind. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third, 0.513 seconds behind, while last year's winner and current world champion Lando Norris was sixth quickest.
The opening rounds of the iconic race saw many incidents in hot, sunny conditions, with drivers fighting for grip on the uneven surface, scraping the barriers by inches.
The session was interrupted twice by red flags, the first after Red Bull's Isack Hadjar crashed hard into the safety fence at the exit of the pool chicane, leaving unharmed.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso also went off the track towards the end of the session, damaging the front of his car.
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Source: CNN