Lewis Hamilton has once again showed his dominance in Formula One by topping the times in the opening free practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion set a best lap time of 1 minute and 12.169 seconds in his Mercedes, narrowly beating out Australian driver Oscar Piastri by 0.029 seconds. Hamilton’s teammate George Russell came in third, showing the strength of the Mercedes team early on in the weekend.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and local favorite Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari followed in fourth and fifth place respectively, with two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll rounding out the top seven. The session was briefly interrupted when Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu lost control of his car, leading to an unrepresentative outcome as some teams were unable to switch to soft tires in the closing minutes.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who did not run on softs, struggled in 11th place and 0.815 seconds off the pace. Verstappen expressed frustration with his car, particularly on the bumpy track, calling it one of the more difficult circuits for his team. McLaren made a striking livery change to pay homage to the late Ayrton Senna, with teams making adjustments to adapt from the previous race at Imola to the tight and challenging Monaco circuit.
As dark clouds loomed over the Circuit de Monaco, Hamilton led the cars out of the pit-lane to kick off the session, with most teams opting for the harder tire compounds. Piastri initially set the pace before Verstappen and Norris took turns at the front. Leclerc then showcased his talent on the streets of Monaco with a quick lap, reflecting his childhood memories of racing on the same track to school.
Halfway through the session, Verstappen and Hamilton moved up the timesheets, with Russell eventually taking the top spot on soft tires. However, it was Hamilton who ultimately emerged as the fastest driver with a blistering lap time of 1:12.169 before the session was halted due to Zhou Guanyu’s crash. The Chinese driver clipped a barrier, causing his front wing to break off and collide with Leclerc’s Ferrari, resulting in the Monegasque driver needing repairs.
As light rain started to fall, Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Sergio Perez suffered a puncture, adding to the drama of the practice session. The incident-filled session provided a glimpse into the competitive nature of the Monaco Grand Prix, setting the stage for an exciting weekend of racing ahead. With Hamilton leading the way early on, it remains to be seen if he can maintain his form and claim victory on the iconic streets of Monte Carlo.
