After an almost three-month hiatus, the 2026 F3 Championship returned to action for its second round in Monaco, with all 30 drivers taking to the Principality’s streets for a 45-minute Free Practice session.
Despite a fast start that saw DAMS Lucas Oil’s Gerrard Xie lead the way after the opening 10 minutes, a lengthy Red Flag period, triggered by James Wharton’s heavy crash at the Swimming Pool section, deprived the field of valuable running around the notoriously challenging Monte Carlo circuit. Although Race Control extended the session by 15 minutes to compensate for the lost track time, the interruption left drivers scrambling to maximise their preparations. In the end, Campos Racing’s Théophile Naël emerged fastest with a 1:25.794, finishing ahead of TRIDENT’s Freddie Slater and teammate Ugo Ugochukwu.
Xie the benchmark after 10 minutes
Following a brief Virtual Safety Car test, the first representative lap times began to appear. Rodin Motorsport’s Brando Badoer set the early benchmark with a 1:43.602, placing himself ahead of teammates Christian Ho and Pedro Clerot. However, the order quickly evolved as drivers built confidence around the narrow and unforgiving circuit.
Hitech TGR’s Jin Nakamura soon lowered the benchmark to a 1:32.589 before Van Amersfoort Racing’s Bruno Del Pino moved to the top with a 1:28.877. Moments later, Campos Racing’s Théophile Naël improved further with a 1:28.543. DAMS Lucas Oil driver Gerrard Xie then climbed to the summit of the timesheets with a 1:28.109, while AIX Racing’s Brad Benavides slotted into second place with a 1:28.370.
Wharton brings out the Red Flag
However, with approximately 35 minutes remaining, the session came to an abrupt halt when PREMA Racing’s James Wharton suffered a heavy crash at the Swimming Pool section, prompting Race Control to deploy the Red Flag. The incident marked another setback for the Australian, who had already missed the Melbourne Feature Race following a substantial Sprint Race collision with teammate Louis Sharp.
The stoppage also proved particularly troublesome for the championship’s rookies, as it significantly reduced their valuable track time. With Monaco presenting one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar, the interruption limited their opportunity to familiarise themselves with the demanding street track and continue building confidence behind the wheel.
Among these rookies was Campos Racing’s Ernesto Rivera, set to make his F3 debut after missing the Melbourne opener due to an injury sustained at the end of his 2026 Formula Regional Oceania Trophy campaign. Furthermore, the disruption served as an especially troublesome obstacle for Rodin Motorsport’s Christian Ho, who missed the late-May in-season test due to academic commitments.
F3 Free Practice extended by 15 minutes in Monaco
With the Red Flag period extending well into the second half of the session as marshals repaired the barriers, Race Control added 15 minutes to the clock to compensate for the lost running. As a result, the session resumed at 13:57 local time, giving the drivers approximately 28 minutes of track time to continue their preparations and build confidence around the demanding Monaco street circuit.
Times tumble after extended Red Flag period at 2026 F3 Free Practice in Monaco
The opening minutes after the restart saw the drivers concentrate on bringing their tyres and brakes back up to operating temperature, with all 29 remaining cars returning to the circuit.
With just under 22 minutes remaining, Campos Racing’s Ugo Ugochukwu became the first driver to improve, climbing to second place with a 1:28.241. Teammate Rivera followed suit, moving into third with a 1:28.318. Shortly afterwards, Naël set the pace with a 1:27.987, becoming the first driver to break into the 1:27s after the interruption.
However, Naël’s stint at the top proved brief. Gerrard Xie, Brad Benavides, DAMS Lucas Oil’s Nicola Lacorte, Nakamura, Tuukka Taponen and Rivera all improved on their next runs, dropping the Frenchman to seventh. Moments later, Hitech Fionn McLaughlin edged ahead of Naël with a 1:27.950 to claim seventh place, relegating him to eighth.
As the session entered its final 18 minutes, MP Motorsport’s Alessandro Giusti jumped to sixth with a 1:27.709 before ART Grand Prix’s Maciej Gładysz surged to the top of the timesheets with a 1:27.249. Nevertheless, the Pole’s stay at the summit lasted only a single lap, as Rodin Motorsport’s Brando Badoer responded with a 1:27.055 to reclaim first place. Meanwhile, Ho strengthened Rodin’s position by moving into sixth with a 1:27.454.
Del Pino and Gładysz show pace as times tumble
Lap times continued to fall inside the final 15 minutes, with Del Pino moving to the top of the timesheets with a 1:26.482. Gładysz responded with a 1:26.986 to take second place, although he remained more than half a second adrift of the Spaniard. Shortly afterwards, Badoer improved to a 1:26.739 to move into second and reduce the deficit to around two tenths. However, fellow Rodin Motorsport driver Pedro Clerot soon edged ahead with a 1:26.652, securing second place and closing to just over one tenth of Del Pino’s benchmark.
As the session entered its final 10 minutes, TRIDENT’s Freddie Slater delivered a strong lap despite encountering traffic, recording a 1:26.723 to move into third. Teammate Noah Strømsted also made progress, climbing to fifth with a 1:26.835.
The session then encountered a brief interruption when PREMA Racing’s Jose Garfias and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Hiyu Yamakoshi both ran off track, prompting a short Yellow Flag period. However, both drivers quickly rejoined, allowing green flag running to resume for the final seven minutes.
Naël, Slater and Ugochukwu at the top into the final minutes for 2026 F3 Monaco Free Practice
The pace continued to intensify as the chequered flag approached. With five minutes remaining, Slater surged to the top of the timesheets with a 1:26.135, putting himself almost three tenths clear of Naël, who had improved to a 1:26.460. Although Del Pino responded with a 1:26.137, he fell just short of reclaiming first place. Ugochukwu then displaced Slater with a 1:26.089 before Campos Racing teammate Naël produced a 1:25.806 to seize top spot and establish a gap of just under three tenths.
The final minutes of the session saw Slater split the Campos duo to take P2 with a 1:25.853. Meanwhile, Lacorte saw his session brought to an early end after a brush with the barriers. Meanwhile, as the chequered flag waved, Ugochukwu found himself third after a messy lap, while teammate Naël improved at the top, ending the session with a 1:25.794.
See the full results from Free Practice
