In Monaco, Lewis Hamilton emerges from the tunnel.
Lewis Hamilton fired the first salvo at the Monaco Grand Prix as the Mercedes driver topped the timesheets in FP1 ahead of Oscar Piastri.
It is worth mentioning that Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez from Red Bull did not use the soft tyres during the session, which resulted in them finishing outside the top ten. Additionally, Ferrari chose to stick with the mediums for the session.
Lewis Hamilton sets the pace in FP1 for the Monaco GP
The first practice session (FP1) for the Monaco Grand Prix, which was previously held on a Thursday in 2021, began on Friday afternoon. The drivers wasted no time getting into the action, fully aware of the potential for crashes, red flags, and limited track time.
In a mere five minutes, all 20 drivers managed to record their lap times, with Lando Norris securing the top spot at 1:15.2 and George Russell sitting at the bottom with a time of 1:18.2.
Nico Hulkenberg explored the run-off area after a lock-up at Turn 1, Carlos Sainz went straight on at the chicane, and Charles Leclerc went quickest on the streets he grew up on.
Pierre Gasly’s struggles in the early part of the season persist as he receives instructions to return to the pit due to a “PU” issue. After a brief reset in the garage, the French driver resumes on the track, only to encounter a lack of power and is forced to return to the pits with a mere six laps completed.
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As Alpine worked on Gasly’s A524, Leclerc set a new benchmark time of 1:13.1. Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas amazed everyone with a 360° maneuver at Ste Devote. Carlos Sainz secured second place for Ferrari, Yuki Tsunoda climbed up to third, and Esteban Ocon expressed his frustration about his car’s bouncy front end.
Alpine made an announcement during the session that Gasly’s running was probably finished for the session due to a wastegate problem with the car.
After stating that his car was incredibly sensitive, Verstappen made contact with the barrier, brushing it with his rear-right tyre. Despite this setback, he managed to secure third place, positioning himself just behind Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Oscar Piastri took the lead among the top drivers by switching to the soft Pirelli tires. Initially in first place (P1), he was later overtaken by Russell. However, Piastri quickly recovered by setting a lap time of 1:12.1. Then, Hamilton managed to go 0.029s faster than him. Meanwhile, Zhou Guanyu experienced a front wing damage, which Leclerc unintentionally collected “under the floor.”
As the Ferrari driver released the debris from Zhou’s car, signaling the emergence of warning signs, the session came to a halt to allow the track marshals to clear the area. Regrettably for Leclerc, some of the debris caused slight damage to his car’s floor, prompting Ferrari to promptly patch it up.
With 13 minutes left in the session, the drivers resumed their activities on the track using a combination of soft, medium, and even hard Pirelli tires. Sergio Perez, who was in 12th place, had to make a last-minute pit stop to replace his tires after experiencing a puncture on his left-rear tire.
The session concluded with Hamilton leading in P1 with a time of 1:12.169, just 0.029s ahead of Piastri. Russell secured the third position. Regarding the Red Bulls, Verstappen finished in P11 after not utilizing the soft tyres, while Perez claimed the 12th spot.
Times
1 Lewis HAMILTON 1:12.169
2 Oscar PIASTRI +0.029
3 George RUSSELL +0.126
4 Lando NORRIS +0.227
5 Charles LECLERC +0.228
6 Fernando ALONSO +0.606
7 Lance STROLL +0.620
8 Yuki TSUNODA +0.706
9 Daniel RICCIARDO +0.732
10 Carlos SAINZ +0.785
11 Max VERSTAPPEN +0.815
12 Sergio PEREZ +1.060
13 Valtteri BOTTAS +1.079
14 Kevin MAGNUSSEN +1.221
15 Alexander ALBON +1.256
16 Nico HULKENBERG +1.407
17 Logan SARGEANT +1.981
18 Esteban OCON +1.990
19 Guanyu ZHOU +2.401
20 Pierre GASLY +3.405
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