F1 | FP2 | Monaco GP | Leclerc on top as red flags fly in Monaco - Motorsport

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Charles Leclerc leads Piastri as the Ferrari man enjoys the home advantage once again amidst an interupted FP2 session at the F1 Monaco GP, full report and results below.

As the track went green once again in Monaco for the second free practice session, there was a flurry of activity as 19 of the 20 drivers rushed to get on track. First to cross the line in the session was Lewis Hamilton for Ferrari with a slow 1:14.962 on medium tyres. Teammate and home hero Leclerc soon pipped the 7 time champion however, setting a 1:14.904 on hards. These times would not last long however.

With the initial round of flying laps trickling in, it was Verstappen setting the pace with a 1:12.922 on mediums. The reigning champion was closely followed by the McLarens, with Piastri leading Norris just 0.146s behind the Red Bull.

A rookie mistake for Hadjar

With just 7 minutes gone off the clock, Isaak Hadjar clipped the barrier with his rear right wheel as he entered the Nouvelle chicane. The rookie driver managed to avoid a bigger incident, albeit puncturing his tyres and bringing out a red flag.

After a very brief red flag period, with Hadjar managing to return to the pits, Nico Hulkenberg in the Sauber was first to get back on track. Having lost over 5 minutes of running, there was once again a traffic jam in the narrow Monaco pit lane.

Second runs trickle in

With the second runs underway, McLaren saw improvements, with Oscar Piastri topping the times with a 1:12.548. Teammate Norris found himself Slightly behind Verstappen in P2. The Mercedes duo of Antonelli and George Russell then found the pace to slot in behind the championship leader.

Home hero Leclerc once again found grip however, with the Ferrari man finding 0.445s to pip Piastri for the top spot. Teammate Hamilton meanwhile managed a 1:12.745, good enough for P5.

A second red flag in FP2 Monaco

Just 20 minutes into the session running was stopped once again. Oscar Piastri found the nose of his MCL39 lodged in the exit barrier at Sainte Devote. Carrying marginally too much speed at the end of the main straight, the McLaren man found himself going straight on.

Luckily for the championship leader, he was able to reverse out of the barrier and return to the pitlane, albeit without his front wing.

After another brief stoppage, with the marshalls collecting Piastri’s wing and repairing the barriers, it was business as usual. Having replaced his damaged wing, Piastri soon found his way back on track.

The session heats up for qualifying runs

Midway through the session, the majority of the drivers donned soft tyres as the prepared for the quali simulations. First over the line on softs was Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso with the Spaniard jumping straight to the top with a 1:12.087.

Lewis Hamilton then briefly pipped Alonso by just 0.062s, before Alonso found more time, improving to an impressive 1:11.890. His glory was once again short lived however as Leclerc, continuing his flying form set two purple sectors on his way to a 1:11.414.

Another driver showing impressive form was Carlos Sainz nabbing P4 in his Williams midway through the session. The Spaniard was just 0.737s off Leclerc on his medium tyres. Teammate Albon was also showing the pace of the Williams with a 1:11.918 on softs.

Not satisfied with his original time, Leclerc went again, improving by just over half a tenth of a second. The Ferrari man seemed virtually untouchable as Norris in the McLaren set his soft tyre time, some 0.482s off his pace.

Piastri, having returned to the track after his incident, found himself a further 4 tenths behind his teammates, although losing most of that time in the traffic heavy third sector.

A second flag for Hadjar

With ten minutes remaining on the clock, Hadjar once again found the Barrier, this time tapping the exit barrier at Sainte Devote. A snap of oversteer saw the rookie slide wide, picking up some advertising on his way. His second incident of the session saw a brief yellow flag but no interruption to running.

Verstappen was next to suffer an error with the Champions escorting his Red Bull into an exit road at Mirabeau. While he avoided any damage, he did struggle to find reverse gear briefly before getting back on track.