MONACO GP – Charles Leclerc four hundredths faster than Oscar Piastri who splits the Ferrari’s in second practice
Charles Leclerc was fastest in second practice for the Monaco Grand Prix the Ferrari driver set an 11.355 to put himself nearly four hundredths ahead of the McLaren of Oscar Piastri with his teammate Lewis Hamilton a tenths behind. Ferrari’s pace was surprising given they struggled at Imola and recent street circuits.
Leclerc topped both of Friday’s sessions, as he seeks to win his home race for a second year in a row in what has been a positive start to the weekend for the team. He had gone into the weekend pessimistic about his chances, but this could be the start in the turnaround of the team’s season.
Ferrari has lacked single-lap pace and struggled with slower corners this season but Monaco, the slowest track of all, offers the chance to set up the car without having to compromise on straight-line speed.
But despite Leclerc trying to play down his chances of back-to-back home wins in a season where Ferrari have flattered to deceive, the Friday timesheets certainly appeared to emphatically belie quite that level of pessimism – even if questions remain about whether they will remain the outright quickest car come qualifying.
It did look to be the team’s best Friday since Hamilton took pole in sprint qualifying in Shanghai, seven races ago. Ferrari will be hoping the speed translates in qualifying, but the race is a bit of a curve ball given the experiment with a mandatory two-stop in a bid to improve overtaking.
Piastri was second going nose first into Sainte Devote (Turn One), early on and was seven hundredths ahead of Hamilton. Ferrari will be hoping this kickstarts their season after mixed performances in the first quarter of the year, Hamilton was just over two-tenths faster than Lando Norris. The two Ferrari’s and McLaren’s covered by three and a quarter of a tenth.
Liam Lawson put his Racing Bull fifth going two hundredths ahead of Isack Hadjar that was despite his French-Algerian teammate having two crashes during FP2. The first saw him hit the inside wall exiting the Tunnel and then the entry apex of the Nouvelle Chicane. He survived that with a puncture and damaged wheel.
The second ended his session, when he slid wide after an oversteer moment at Sainte Devote and broke his left rear suspension. Hadjar was half a tenth faster than Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin, on a weekend where new managing technical partner Adrain Newey made his first appearance.
Alonso was just over a quarter of a tenth faster than Kimi Antonelli, with Max Verstappen six and a half hundredths behind to complete the top ten. But the four-time champion was frustrated after being caught out by traffic on his fastest lap, before also going wide during his race simulation at Sainte Devote.
Yuki Tsunoda missed out on the top ten after going four-thousandths behind teammate Verstappen and ahead of George Russell by two hundredths. Carlos Sainz was thirteenth the Spaniard eight hundredths ahead of the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto. Bortoleto had been accused by Verstappen of blocking through the Swimming Pool section
Ollie Bearman spilt the Sauber’s going a quarter of a tenth behind the Brazilian and three thousandths faster than Nico Hulkenberg. Bearman was handed a ten-place grid penalty for appearing to overtake Sainz under the red flags the second driver to be given a penalty on Friday
Pierre Gasly was nearly a tenth and a half behind Hulkenberg and ahead of Lance Stroll by a tenth. But the Aston Martin driver was given a one-place penalty for his collision with Leclerc in FP1. Esteban Ocon was nineteenth after going nearly nine-tenths faster than Franco Colapinto.