De Vries 0.6s clear in Monaco F2 practice
McLaren Formula 1 junior and Prema Racing’s Nyck de Vries topped the Formula 2 practice session in Monaco by 0.6 seconds from Nicholas Latifi.
De Vries traded times with championship leader Lando Norris at the top of the standings in the opening 15 minutes. The two even made contact, as de Vries clipped the back of Norris’s Carlin on the exit of La Rasscasse, causing damage to his front wing.
Having slipped down the order as the session progressed, de Vries returned to top spot with five minutes to go. His 1m21.670s was 0.6s clear of the field and could not be beaten in the closing minutes.
Latifi was second, despite having had several excursions during the session. He took to the run-off area at Ste Devote after a lock-up in the closing minutes. Earlier in the session, he lost a lap which was set to propel him to provisional fastest as a result of having to cut the second part of the Swimming Pool chicane.
Lando Norris finished the session in third. He was one of the first drivers to set a time on the supersoft tyres, so was less able to take advantage of the improved track conditions later in the session.
ART Grand Prix’s Jack Aitken was fourth. He was another driver who explored the Ste Devote run-off area. Norris’s team-mate Sergio Sette Camara was fifth.
Alexander Albon, who enters this weekend second in the championship, ended up in sixth in practice. Russian Time’s Artem Markelov was seventh, but he aborted a lap in which he recorded personal best times in sectors one and two.
Louis Deletraz, Maximilian Gunther and Luca Ghiotto rounded out the top 10. Ghiotto had spent more than 10 minutes of the 45-minute session at the top of the times after being an early pacesetter.
Mercedes F1 junior George Russell only completed four laps in the session. His running was curtailed by suspected engine issues. All other drivers completed 17 or more laps, with Santino Ferrucci clocking a session-high 28.