Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time of a close final practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix as Red Bull's potential was hidden.
The Ferrari driver was quickest with a 1:14.650, leaving him just 0.018s ahead of Lewis Hamilton. The defending champion was fastest in the first two sectors but only marginally up on Vettel's time when he appeared to be distracted slightly by some traffic at Rascasse.
Nico Rosberg was third, 0.122s slower than Vettel, with Daniel Ricciardo only fourth quickest. Ricciardo had been fastest early on but was unable to complete a clean final lap on ultrasoft tyres due to a number of yellow flags, failing to improve with a late attempt.
Ricciardo's lap of 1:14.807 was exactly 0.2s slower than his time from FP2 in a sign of how much more potential is in the Red Bull, with even Vettel failing to beat Thursday's benchmark.
Max Verstappen had been second to his team-mate during the early session, but on what should have been his final attempt he locked up at Massenet and hit the barrier on the outside of the circuit. The right hand side of the car sustained light damage - with the front wing broken - but Verstappen was able to limp back to the pits and eventually squeezed in a lap good enough for fifth quickest right at the end of the session.
Toro Rosso continued to impress with Daniil Kvyat sixth and Carlos Sainz seventh, with Kvyat looking especially dialled in as he grazed the inside barrier at the second part of the Swimming Pool chicane. Sergio Perez was eighth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen - who appeared to not get in a clean lap - and Nico Hulkenberg.
Jolyon Palmer had another big moment after his crash on Thursday morning, with the Renault driver losing the rear of his car at the high speed first part of the Swimming Pool. Spinning on exit, Palmer was lucky to just brush the outside barrier and damage his rear wing, sliding to a halt at the second chicane and managing to get back to the pits.
Numerous drivers ran off at Sainte Devote, with Palmer's team-mate Kevin Magnussen eventually abandoning his car there late in the session. Vettel also had a big moment under braking for the Nouvelle Chicane but managed to keep his Ferrari out of the barrier.
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| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:14.650 | 25 |
| 02 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:14.668 | 24 |
| 03 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:14.772 | 29 |
| 04 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:14.807 | 22 |
| 05 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:15.081 | 17 |
| 06 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:15.259 | 23 |
| 07 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:15.324 | 26 |
| 08 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 1:15.368 | 21 |
| 09 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1:15.555 | 22 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:15.666 | 20 |
| 11 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:16.068 | 29 |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:16.257 | 24 |
| 13 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1:16.298 | 23 |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 1:16.347 | 21 |
| 15 | Esteban Gutierrez | Haas | 1:16.406 | 23 |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 1:16.412 | 13 |
| 17 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:16.527 | 27 |
| 18 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 1:16.867 | 23 |
| 19 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:17.038 | 32 |
| 20 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1:17.482 | 17 |
| 21 | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor | 1:17.595 | 32 |
| 22 | Rio Haryanto | Manor | 1:18.180 | 34 |
