Lewis Hamilton topped Friday’s opening practice in Monaco, the Mercedes driver edging McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by just 0.029s.
George Russell’s third fastest performance confirmed the Silver Arrows outfit’s early form, while Lando Norris in fourth position confirmed team papaya’s ambitions.
Local hero Charles Leclerc was only fifth, but balance issues – among other difficulties – set championship leader Max Verstappen back to P11, just ahead of his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Media day in Monaco was partly wet and soggy but drivers hit the streets of the Principality under dry and warms conditions at the start of FP1, although a cloudy sky pointed to a risk of rain later in the session.
As Lando Norris joined the cue of drivers at the end of the pit lane, McLaren rolled out its Senna-livered MCL38 for all to see.
High downforce wings were also in force across the field to cope with Monte Carlo’s specific layout.
Hamilton led the pack and there was plenty of running at the outset. Grip levels were pretty low but promised to improve, while the medium and hard compounds were predictably in widespread use.
Leclerc set the first significant benchmark, the Monegasque putting a 1m14.238s on the board using the hards. But the Scuderia was overhauled by Verstappen by a small margin, the medium-shod Dutchman appearing to target the limit from the outset as his RB20 rubbed the barriers at the chicane.
Meanwhile, troubles were reported in the Alpine camp where Pierre Gasly – with just five laps to his name – was ordered to box following a power unit issue.
Twenty minutes into the session, Norris briefly went top but the Briton was immediately demoted by Leclerc, still running on the hards, who lowered the fastest time to 1m13.343s, while Sainz and a fast moving Tsunoda slotted into second and third.
Mid-session, both Mercedes sat in the lower tier of the field as Hamilton and Russell were slow to dial in the pace of their W15 silver arrows.
Worryingly, after Gasly’s fundamental PU issue centered around a wastegate problem, Esteban Ocon also reported a suspected engine problem.
Verstappen moved up to second to split the two Ferraris, but Hamilton then appeared out of nowhere to leapfrog the Red Bull driver and seize the runner-up spot behind Leclerc.
Piastri was among the first drivers to bolt on a set of softs, a move that propelled the Aussie to the top. It was short lived however for the McLaren driver as Russell, now also on the softs, went P1 with a 1m12.295s.
There was good news over at Alpine where the team confirmed that Ocon’s engine was intact, the Frenchman rejoining the session after a few set-up changes to improve his car’s compliance around the bumpy track, while Gasly was also set to rejoin the proceedings.
Pressing on, Piastri recouped the top spot with 20 minutes left on the clock, with Russell, Hamilton and Tsunoda lining up behind, while Alonso popped up among the top five.
But once again, Piastri’s lead was short lived as Hamilton pumped in a 1m12.169s on the softs to go top.
A red flag was deployed with 15 minutes to go following a mild contact with the wall at Ste Devote by Zhou Guanyu, the Sauber losing its front wing and scattering debris.
A swift clean-up job was conducted by Monaco’s expert marshals and the session resumed, albeit under the threat of rain. The circuit remained dry however in the closing minutes of the session.
It wasn’t the smoothest session for Red Bull, with Verstappen complaining about balance issues while Perez was forced to pit for a puncture in the final minutes.
The checkered flag was deployed with Hamilton leading the field from Piastri, Russell, Norris and Leclerc, a positive start that boded well for both Mercedes drivers.
Aston’s Alonso and Stroll and RB’s Tsunoda and Ricciardo followed behind the top five, with Sainz completing the top ten.
Verstappen and Perez lined up P11 and P12, an indication that Red Bull has work to do to reclaim its position among the front-runners.
But the forecast for this afternoon sees an increase of the risk of rain, which could significantly disrupt the teams’ running plans and further disturb the pecking order.
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