Ferrari further tightened its hold on the Monaco Grand Prix weekend by locking out the top two positions in second practice, with Lewis Hamilton edging team-mate Charles Leclerc to complete a dream Friday for the Scuderia.
After Leclerc led Ferrari’s one-two in the opening session, Hamilton turned the tables under the Monte Carlo sun with a benchmark lap of 1m13.026s, finishing 0.111s clear of the Monegasque driver.
The result reinforced Ferrari’s status as the early favourite around Monaco’s slow-speed streets, where the SF-26’s strengths appear perfectly suited to the unique demands of the circuit.
The opening phase of the session was busy as teams worked through tyre programmes, with most opting for medium compounds while Aston Martin uniquely started on softs.
Track position changed rapidly before the first major incident arrived just 12 minutes into the hour. Reigning world champion Lando Norris encountered a problem with his McLaren, forcing him straight on at the Nouvelle Chicane escape road and out of the session.
The stoppage triggered a virtual safety car period that lasted until the 20-minute mark, disrupting several teams’ early plans.
Once running resumed, Ferrari quickly resumed control. Leclerc moved to the top with a 1m13.613s lap, while Hamilton sat close behind after posting a 1m13.671s effort before Norris’ retirement.
The complexion of the session changed midway through as teams bolted on soft tyres for qualifying simulations.
Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and George Russell both threatened Ferrari’s position, while Max Verstappen briefly seized the initiative for Red Bull with a 1m13.467s lap. Russell also jumped ahead of the Ferraris as the Italian team delayed its first true soft-tyre attack.
Verstappen then lowered the benchmark further to 1m13.194s, only for Ferrari to finally reveal its pace. Leclerc immediately responded with a 1m13.137s before Hamilton went even quicker, stopping the clocks at 1m13.026s.
No driver managed to improve on those times during the closing stages.
Attention then shifted toward longer-run work, with several teams returning to medium tyres before a late interruption brought proceedings to a close.
A red flag was thrown with five minutes remaining when Sergio Perez’s Cadillac ground to a halt at Casino Square in a cloud of smoke, effectively ending the session.
Behind the Ferrari duo, Verstappen finished third ahead of Russell and championship leader Antonelli. Isack Hadjar bounced back impressively from his FP1 crash to claim sixth, narrowly ahead of Oscar Piastri.
Nico Hülkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto and Oliver Bearman completed the top 10 as Ferrari ended Friday with a clear statement of intent. Mercedes may still have a perfect record in 2026, but in Monaco, Ferrari looks ready to challenge it.
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