Leclerc Tops Monaco FP1 As Ferrari Deliver 1-2 And Hadjar, Alonso Both Crash

Ferrari arrived in Monaco as favourites and Charles Leclerc wasted little time in justifying that billing during the first practice session of the weekend.
Leclerc set the fastest time of 1m13.978s around his home streets, beating team-mate Lewis Hamilton by 0.226s to give the Scuderia a dominant 1-2 finish.
The SF-26 had been widely tipped as the car to beat heading into Monaco, given its well-documented strength through slow-speed corners, and Friday’s opening session backed that theory up convincingly.
Leclerc’s weekend had already generated significant headlines before a wheel had turned, with the Monegasque driver signing a new contract extension with Ferrari in the build-up to the race.
The session was not without its early drama for Leclerc personally, as he locked up and ran into the Turn 5 escape road in the opening minutes while running on hard tyres.
Traffic proved a major issue in the early stages on the tight street circuit, with Haas duo Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman among those frustrated by disrupted laps in the congested opening phase.
Ferrari held the early advantage before Kimi Antonelli briefly took the lead for Mercedes with a 1m14.537s, which was enough to split the two teams temporarily mid-session.
Max Verstappen was heard over the radio venting “my tyres are just dead” as he struggled to match the leading pace, ultimately finishing fourth in his Red Bull, 0.513s off the top.
Isack Hadjar then brought out the first red flag of the session with 25 minutes remaining, losing the rear of his Red Bull at the Turn 15-16 chicane and sliding into the barrier.
It marked Hadjar’s second retirement or crash in just three race weekends following his exit in Miami, and the incident forced teams to regroup with the clock ticking down.
Ferrari used the interruption to its advantage, switching to medium tyres and sending both drivers back out, with Hamilton initially taking top spot on a 1m14.204s.
Leclerc then went quicker moments later, becoming the first driver to dip below the 1m14s barrier and establishing a gap that neither Hamilton nor anyone else could close.
Fernando Alonso then triggered a second red flag late in the session, crashing his Aston Martin into the barrier at the chicane entry and scattering debris across the track.
That incident effectively concluded meaningful running for the rest of the field and cemented Ferrari’s commanding position at the top of the timing sheets.
George Russell completed the top five for Mercedes, 1.005s off the pace, while Lando Norris was sixth for McLaren and Nico Hulkenberg delivered an impressive seventh place for Audi.
Oscar Piastri took eighth ahead of Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounding out the top ten to close out a chaotic but informative opening hour in Monaco.
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