FREE PRACTICE 1 REPORT: Monaco Grand Prix 2026

Free Practice 1 at Monaco delivered a busy opening hour with early benchmarks, multiple position changes at the top, and two red flags late in the session. Ferrari set the early pace through Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, while Mercedes and Red Bull stayed close before the session was disrupted by incidents in the final minutes.

Charles Leclerc emerged as the standout performer at home, setting the pace with a 1:13.978 to finish quickest overall. Lewis Hamilton was right behind in second, just two tenths adrift, giving Ferrari a strong one-two heading into the break. Max Verstappen finished third but was half a second off the Ferrari benchmark, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli placed fourth for Mercedes ahead of George Russell in fifth.

McLaren had a difficult opening session, with Lando Norris only sixth and Oscar Piastri down in eighth, both more than a second off the leading pace at different stages. Nico Hulkenberg delivered a strong run for Audi in seventh, ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth, while Pierre Gasly completed the top ten for Alpine.

The session was not without drama. Isack Hadjar hit the wall heavily at the Swimming Pool section, triggering a red flag after initial yellow flags were shown. Earlier, Lando Norris had a near-identical moment at the same part of the circuit but managed to avoid a crash. Fernando Alonso also struck the barrier at the Nouvelle Chicane in the closing minutes, leaving debris on track and prompting a second red flag that effectively ended the competitive running.

There were also several investigations after the session. Charles Leclerc, Arvid Lindblad, and Oscar Piastri were all noted for potential impeding incidents, while Liam Lawson was investigated for crossing the pit exit line under a red light, with replays suggesting he had little time to react to the signal change.

With limited clean running in the final stages, teams were forced to settle for practice starts instead of further push laps. Ferrari leave the session as clear early favourites, but Mercedes, Red Bull, and others will look to close the gap in Free Practice 2.

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