F1 | FP1 | Monaco GP | Leclerc fastest after early clash with Stroll

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The F1 Monaco GP kicks off with Friday morning practice on a sunny day in the principality.

As a reminder, a mandatory two-stop strategy has been introduced for this year’s race, in an attempt to inject more unpredictability into the spectacle on Sunday.

Oscar Piastri is still leading the championship standings heading into the weekend, 13 points separating him and teammate Lando Norris, while Max Verstappen is keeping himself in contention, just 9 points behind Norris. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc, returns to his home circuit as a Monaco GP winner for the first time, following his triumph in 2024.

Teams waste no time sending their drivers out onto the narrow streets of Monte Carlo. There’s a wide range of tyre strategies in play: hards, mediums, and even softs are all being trialled as teams gather early data.

Early trouble for Leclerc

It’s a fractious start to the weekend for the home hero. Leclerc is the author of the first error of the weekend as locks up at Turn 6 and takes to the escape road.

Things quickly go from bad to worse as he is soon seen limping around the track with a damaged front wing. Replays reveal Leclerc collided with the back of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin in the hairpin. Stroll had moved aside to let another car through and then rejoined the racing line just in front of Leclerc.

The incident brings out the red flag to clear debris from the track. The stewards will review the incident after the session. Not an ideal start to the weekend for either.

The session restarts

Ferrari works quickly to repair Leclerc’s car, and he is able to return to the track on soft tyres. Stroll, however, remains in the garage as the session resumes. Hamilton currently tops the timesheets, with Verstappen close behind.

McLaren establish an early lead. Piastri briefly takes the top spot before Norris goes even quicker, putting McLaren first and second with a leading time of 1:13.615.

Hamilton was on a solid lap, but a lock-up at the penultimate corner, Rascasse, sends him wide. Meanwhile, a replay shows Lawson having a near-miss with the back of Hamilton’s car just before the final corner.

McLaren back on top

Norris (1:13.036) and Piastri (1:13.508) are heading the field on the soft tyre. Verstappen then goes second fastest on the hard tyre, 0.436s off Norris’s time.

33 mins left to go. Ferrari back in the game, Hamilton slotting into second, behind Norris, on a set of mediums; Leclerc joins the top 3 after a solid lap on the softs. Gasly’s the latest driver to have a near-miss, as traffic bunches up.

It’s session over for Stroll: he will not be going out again as his stricken Aston Martin undergoes major repairs in the garage. Bortoleto has been noted for impeding Versappen.

Meanwhile, Leclerc is vocally critical of the SF-25’s performance over team radio, saying: “We are nowhere.” He issues complaints about understeer and oversteer.

Sainz goes deep into Sainte Devote after a big lock-up, reverses out and gets back out on track on his own.

Final 30 minutes of the morning session

24 minutes remaining: Leclerc squeezes every ounce of performance out of his Ferrari as he goes faster than Norris, shooting to the top of the timesheet with a 1:11.964 on the soft tyre. Soon after, Sainz slots into third, while Norris is the latest to lock-up and sail into the run-off by Sainte Devote.

Hadjar hits the barrier outside the swimming pool exit, but carries on with no major damage.

Replay shows Hamilton having to hit the brakes hard on the climb up the hill, rapidly closing in on slower cars ahead. Traffic is proving to be a real headache around Monaco this morning.

Piastri radios in to say he’s hit the wall, returns to the pits.

Leclerc suggests there is “something wrong with the car,” possibly as a result of the damage he sustained earlier in the session.

With ten minutes left on the clock, Leclerc is still in the lead with his earlier lap, with Norris and Piastri in second and third. Meanwhile, Hamilton dramatically flies over the kerb at the swimming pool.

As the chequered flag is waved, Bortoleto is the latest driver to end up in the run-off at Sainte Devote as the morning session draws to a close.

Leclerc’s benchmark time of 1:11.964 remains unbeaten, keeping him at the top of the timesheets ahead of Verstappen, Norris, Albon, Piastri, Russell, Sainz, Gasly, Hamilton, and Alonso.