Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheet at the end of Thursday's first free practice session, edging out Sebastain Vettel by just 0.196s.

The Mercedes drivers' fastest lap was quicker than last year's pole while the top five drivers were covered by just under half a second.

Vettel's Ferrari suffered a slight mishap early on when he tapped the barriers while P3's Max Verstappen endured a puncture.

Other than that it was an incident-free session - a rare occurrence at Monaco - save for Nico Hulkenberg and Marcus Ericsson who were hit by technical gremlins which prevented any meaningful running.

Daniel Ricciardo clocked in with 45 laps under his belt and the fifth fastest time, right behind Valtteri Bottas' Mercedes.

Meanwhile, Jenson Button's return to the fray yielded P14, with the McLaren driver just fractionally down on team mate Stoffel Vandoorne.

The 2009 victor's time was just 1.529s slower than Lewis Hamitlon's fastest lap, an indication of the level of competition of the field in the Principality.

Free practice 1 results

Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:13.425s 40
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:13.621s + 0.196s 34
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:13.771s + 0.346s 32
4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:13.791s + 0.366s 40
5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:13.854s + 0.429s 45
6 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:14.111s + 0.686s 42
7 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:14.164s + 0.739s 37
8 Sergio Pérez Force India 1:14.201s + 0.776s 32
9 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:14.333s + 0.908s 39
10 Esteban Ocon Force India 1:14.425s + 1.000s 39
11 Felipe Massa Williams 1:14.617s + 1.192s 37
12 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:14.813s + 1.388s 38
13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:14.870s + 1.445s 34
14 Jenson Button McLaren 1:14.954s + 1.529s 35
15 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:15.321s + 1.896s 33
16 Lance Stroll Williams 1:15.595s + 2.170s 44
17 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:15.949s + 2.524s 42
18 Pascal Wehrlein Sauber 1:16.258s + 2.833s 33
19 Nico Hülkenberg Renault 3
20 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 3

 

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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