Charles Leclerc tops a chaotic FP2 session in Monaco as Norris, Hamilton and Verstappen chase pace ahead of an unpredictable race.
After a first free practice session dominated by Charles Leclerc despite a dramatic collision with Lance Stroll, the drivers are back on track in Monaco for FP2 of the Grand Prix. This session is traditionally used to prepare for the race and long runs, but this weekend, it carries less importance in that regard.
Indeed, with two mandatory pit stops on Sunday, it is difficult to develop a strategy without knowing the grid position. Teams will therefore test tyre durability, but they will not be able to do much more to build a knowledge base for the race.
Laurent Mekies stated that possible strategies are multiplied by 128, and Lando Norris even suggested the possibility of a surprise winner on Sunday. In other words, the weekend promises to be tricky, both in terms of finding the limit in qualifying and preparing for the race without leaving too many unknown factors.
At 16:40, Christian Horner made several questionable comments at the start of the weekend. Not only did he lie about Red Bull’s involvement with the FIA that led to the technical directives at Imola, but the Milton Keynes team principal also referred to Adrian Newey as a “giant booger” after seeing him dressed in green.
At 16:44, Lance Stroll visited the FIA stewards following his collision with Charles Leclerc in FP1. Unsurprisingly, he was deemed responsible and received the first grid penalty of this Monaco Grand Prix. He will drop one position from his qualifying result tomorrow.
At 16:49, one of the paddock rumors this weekend concerns the possibility of Max Verstappen joining Mercedes in 2026. Toto Wolff and Bradley Lord, respectively the team principal and spokesperson, denied waiting for a response from Verstappen to extend George Russell’s contract.
At 17:00, FP2 is underway.
At 17:03, Leclerc sets the best time with 1:14.904 on hard tyres, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who is on mediums.
At 17:04, Liam Lawson took the fastest time in 1:14.2, immediately beaten by Alex Albon with 1:13.961, but Lando Norris did better with 1:13.250. All these drivers were on medium tyres.
At 17:05, Oscar Piastri went faster with 1:13.068 before Max Verstappen improved to 1:12.922. Nico Hülkenberg took provisional sixth on hard tyres, and Fernando Alonso moved up to fourth before being overtaken by Yuki Tsunoda.
At 17:07, Isack Hadjar hit the inside rail entering the Harbour Chicane and punctured his left rear tyre. The Frenchman stopped and asked his engineer, Pierre Hamelin, whether to return to the pits. The answer was affirmative, and he will be helped by the red flag deployed by the marshals.
At 17:13, the session resumed after debris left by the Racing Bulls was cleared.
At 17:17, Alonso improved and climbed to fourth before Norris moved to second, 0.088 behind Verstappen. Piastri outpaced them with a 1:12.548, and Hamilton took second with a 0.197 gap. Pierre Gasly claimed third, 0.239 behind.
At 17:18, Russell recorded the second-fastest time after being obstructed in the final sector.
At 17:19, Antonelli posted the second-fastest time, and Leclerc topped the session with 1:12.103. Piastri went straight at Sainte Devote and hit the wall. The McLaren’s nose was damaged and the Australian returned to the pits. The red flag came out again.
At 17:23, the session was set to resume at 17:24.
At 17:25, Alonso posted the best time at 1:12.087 on soft tyres.
At 17:27, Oliver Bearman came under investigation for overtaking under red flag conditions.
At 17:29, Leclerc took second place, 0.016 behind Alonso on hard tyres. On mediums, Hamilton posted the best time at 1:12.025. Norris placed fifth.
At 17:30, Bearman took sixth place.
At 17:33, Leclerc set the fastest lap on soft tyres with a 1:11.414. Sainz moved up to fourth on mediums, and Hülkenberg to sixth on softs.
At 17:36, Leclerc improved again with 1:11.355, Norris took second place four-tenths behind, Verstappen ranked seventh, and Albon moved up to fourth.
At 17:39, Hamilton posted the third-best time, 0.486 behind his teammate and 0.004 behind Norris.
At 17:44, Hamilton recorded the second-fastest time, and Lawson moved up to fourth. The gaps are extremely tight from fourth place onward, with just six-tenths separating fourth from seventeenth.
At 17:48, Hadjar appears to have hit the barrier again. He is moving slowly, either with damage or with a banner caught on the car, though it is hard to see clearly on the screen.
At 17:49, Piastri sets the second-best time, just 0.038 seconds behind Leclerc.
At 17:50, Hadjar exclaims, “I’m so stupid, I think I’m dumb!” He blames himself for hitting the wall, as he now has front wing damage and a misaligned wheel.
At 17:51, it was a rear-end slide that caused the Frenchman to hit the wall at Sainte Devote.
At 17:53, Verstappen got stuck in the escape road at Mirabeau after a mistake, but eventually managed to reverse and free himself from the tricky situation.
At 17:55, Hadjar’s session is clearly over.
At 18:00, the session comes to an end.
Leclerc wraps up the opening day unbeaten, having set the fastest time in both sessions. He finishes ahead of Piastri, despite the latter’s crash in FP2, and Hamilton. Norris secures fourth place, followed by the Racing Bulls of Lawson and Hadjar, then Alonso, Albon, Antonelli, and Verstappen.
Tsunoda takes 11th ahead of Russell, Sainz, Bortoleto, Bearman, Hülkenberg, and Gasly, followed by Stroll, Ocon, and Colapinto. It’s a tough day for the Argentine, who struggled to find the limit and ends the day 2.060 seconds off the best time and 1.011 behind his teammate.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-25 | 1:11.355 | 32 |
| 02 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL39 | 1:11.393 | 28 |
| 03 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari SF-25 | 1:11.460 | 30 |
| 04 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL39 | 1:11.677 | 32 |
| 05 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02 | 1:11.823 | 32 |
| 06 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02 | 1:11.842 | 17 |
| 07 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25 | 1:11.890 | 30 |
| 08 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW47 | 1:11.918 | 34 |
| 09 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes W16 | 1:12.002 | 32 |
| 10 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21 | 1:12.068 | 29 |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21 | 1:12.072 | 30 |
| 12 | George Russell | Mercedes W16 | 1:12.092 | 32 |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes FW47 | 1:12.151 | 32 |
| 14 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45 | 1:12.234 | 29 |
| 15 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari VF-25 | 1:12.259 | 33 |
| 16 | Nico Hülkenberg | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45 | 1:12.262 | 32 |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A525 | 1:12.404 | 34 |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25 | 1:12.512 | 30 |
| 19 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari VF-25 | 1:12.541 | 33 |
| 20 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Renault A525 | 1:13.415 | 31 |
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