- Leclerc leads Monaco GP practice with a 1m 13.978s, Hamilton close behind.
- Hadjar and Alonso trigger red flags, Racing Bulls struggle with steering trouble.
- Verstappen, Antonelli and a surprising Cadillac round out a chaotic top 15.
Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in first practice for the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix on Friday, setting the fastest time of 1m 13.978s around the streets of Monte Carlo.
His Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton finished second, 0.226 seconds behind. The session was interrupted twice by red flags, with Isack Hadjar crashing his Red Bull at the Swimming Pool chicane and Fernando Alonso losing part of his front wing late on.
Leclerc’s benchmark came just days after he signed a long-term contract extension with Ferrari. The Monegasque driver, who ended a year-long wait for a home victory in 2024, was quickest by a clear margin at a circuit where Ferrari were widely expected to perform well.
As it happened in the first free practice in Monaco
Sergio Perez led the field out of the pit lane at the start of the session. Every driver bolted on the hard compound tyre to begin laying rubber on the track surface.
Leclerc joined in quickly, though his first run was rough. He locked up and went straight on at Mirabeau before reversing and rejoining.
Problems surfaced early at Racing Bulls. Both Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson reported that their cars lacked enough steering lock through the hairpin. Lindblad radioed his team to say he simply could not get the car around the corner.
Hamilton set the early pace with a 1m 15.617s. Leclerc then went quickest with a 1m 15.060s and immediately improved to a 1m 14.928s.
Kimi Antonelli, who arrived in Monaco as the championship leader, briefly split the two Ferraris before Hamilton moved back ahead of him into second.
There was friction at Haas as well. Esteban Ocon complained over the radio that Ollie Bearman had backed up and ruined his lap. Bearman responded by saying Ocon had been following too closely.
Around the midpoint of the session, Mercedes put both Antonelli and George Russell on the medium tyre, holding the softs back for a cleaner track later. Antonelli went fastest shortly after.
Leclerc then brushed the barrier at the Swimming Pool entrance and narrowly avoided breaking his suspension. Hadjar was not so fortunate moments later. He lost the rear of his Red Bull before the Swimming Pool chicane and hit the wall nose-first, bringing out the first red flag.
The session resumed with around 15 minutes remaining. Most drivers were now on medium tyres. Max Verstappen was clearly unhappy with his car, telling his team over the radio to “fix this release,” a complaint about his gear shifts that he has raised before in practice.
Hamilton moved back to the front with a 1m 14.204s, but Leclerc then went below the 1m 14s barrier for the first time, posting the 1m 13.978s that held as the session’s best.
The final minutes stayed busy with driver incidents. Leclerc and Lawson faced a post-session investigation for a potential impeding incident. Lindblad picked up a separate investigation for allegedly blocking Oscar Piastri.
Lawson also clipped the barrier in the closing stages and was noted for leaving the pit lane on a red light, though the light had apparently only just changed as he passed.
Alonso then lost the rear of his Aston Martin coming out of the tunnel, clipped the barrier and shed the outer section of his front wing, bringing out the second red flag. He brought the car back to the pit lane. The session went green briefly for practice starts, but nobody improved on Leclerc’s time.
Full Monaco GP FP1 results
| Pos | Driver | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | 1:13.978 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | +0.226s |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | +0.513s |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | +0.559s |
| 5 | George Russell | +1.005s |
| 6 | Lando Norris | +1.313s |
| 7 | Nico Hulkenberg | +1.365s |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | +1.587s |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | +1.772s |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | +1.850s |
| 11 | Alexander Albon | +2.011s |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | +2.063s |
| 13 | Isack Hadjar | +2.170s |
| 14 | Sergio Perez | +2.192s |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | +2.211s |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | +2.314s |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | +2.355s |
| 18 | Arvid Lindblad | +2.411s |
| 19 | Liam Lawson | +2.453s |
| 20 | Fernando Alonso | +2.700s |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | +3.482s |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | +3.578s |
