Hamilton Leads Ferrari To Another 1-2 In Monaco FP2 As Norris Retires Early

Lewis Hamilton delivered a dominant performance in the second practice session at the Monaco Grand Prix, leading Ferrari to a 1-2 finish for the second time on Friday.
The seven-time world champion posted a best lap of 1m13.026s, which was 0.111s quicker than team-mate Charles Leclerc to complete a commanding sweep of both practice sessions for the Maranello outfit.
Ferrari’s strength through slow-speed corners has made the Italian team the clear favourite heading into the rest of the Monaco weekend, putting genuine pressure on Mercedes’ unbeaten run in 2026.
Mercedes has won all five grands prix so far this season, making Ferrari’s Friday dominance at Monaco a significant statement of intent for the championship battle ahead.
FP2 marked a return to a more traditional Friday format, with Monaco being the first race weekend to host a second free practice session since Japan back in March.
The session began at a frenetic pace, with almost all teams opting for new medium tyres at the start, apart from Aston Martin who fitted softs, and the early lead changed hands several times.
Lando Norris suffered a significant blow just 12 minutes into the session, sending his McLaren into the Nouvelle Chicane escape road with an unspecified problem, retiring early from the outing.
The world champion’s retirement triggered a virtual safety car period, and once racing resumed, Leclerc quickly moved to the top with a 1m13.613s, which was 0.365s faster than his own FP1 benchmark.
Max Verstappen temporarily led the way during the soft-tyre runs with a 1m13.194s, and George Russell also jumped ahead of the Ferrari drivers briefly with a 1m13.515s for Mercedes.
Ferrari then made its move, with Leclerc setting a 1m13.137s before Hamilton responded with his quickest lap of 1m13.026s to reclaim top spot for the Scuderia.
Those times went unchallenged through the final 22 minutes of the session, with Verstappen holding third ahead of Russell in fourth and championship leader Kimi Antonelli fifth, 0.503s behind Hamilton.
A late red flag brought the session to a premature close after Sergio Perez’s Cadillac stopped at Casino Square emitting smoke, though it had no significant effect on the final classification.
Isack Hadjar recovered impressively from an FP1 crash to take sixth place for Red Bull with a 1m14.087s, just 0.001s ahead of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren in seventh.
Nico Hulkenberg took eighth for Audi with a 1m14.094s, ahead of team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth, while Oliver Bearman rounded out the top 10 for Haas with a 1m14.456s.
Ferrari’s perfect Monaco Friday has set up what promises to be an intriguing qualifying battle on Saturday, with the Scuderia firmly in position to challenge Mercedes’ dominant start to 2026.
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