Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton began the Monaco Grand Prix in the best way possible by topping the timesheets in first practice ahead of Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.
The two Mercedes drivers were the first cars to drive the Monaco circuit in anger, testing the new purple-marked ultrasoft tyres.
Hamilton and Rosberg exchanged fastest lap times as the track continued to get quicker as the session progressed.
Mercedes have been the team to beat in the principality in recent seasons, winning the last three races.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was third fastest, 0.419s off the pace set by Hamilton. Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen ended FP1 just a tenth of a second apart despite the former running the upgraded Renault engine for this weekend whilst Verstappen will continue to use the older version.
Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat was an encouraging sixth, a circuit which should suit the STR11. Nico Hulkenberg ended FP1 in seventh ahead of teammate Sergio Perez.
Kimi Raikkonen was unable to match the pace of his German teammate and ended first practice down in ninth with Carlos Sainz rounding out the top 10 positions.
Valtteri Bottas was just outside the top 10 in eleventh ending FP1 ahead of Romain Grosjean, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Gutierrez, who stopped out on circuit due to another technical issue.
Williams’ Felipe Massa was the first driver to hit the barrier, losing the rear of his Williams car at Sainte-Dévote.
Jolyon Palmer also lost the rear at Tabac, damaging the rear end of his Renault car.
With three minutes of the session remaining, the red flag was deployed due to a loose manhole cover.
FP2 for the Monaco Grand Prix gets underway at 1200 BST.
