F1 | FP1 Insights – Charles Leclerc shines at home but Ferrari’s telemetry highlights a mechanical problem. Charles Leclerc tops FP1 at the Monaco GP despite a mechanical issue.

Sixty minutes of action were interrupted by a red flag incident involving both Stroll and Leclerc, which occurred at the hairpin—the slowest and tightest corner on the calendar. The incident disrupted the home driver, who had to undergo structural checks on his SF-25. Telemetry analysis from FP1 partially revealed the issue affecting Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, which, despite the setback, still managed to top the timesheets in Monaco.

The Monegasque talent put in an impressive performance during FP1 at his home Grand Prix. Despite a halt in the early moments of the session, Charles Leclerc emerged fastest with a time of 1:11.964. He was the only driver on the grid to break the 1:12 barrier in FP1. Closely followed by Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc demonstrated a glimpse of the SF-25’s potential, which didn’t require setup compromises on the Monte Carlo circuit.

Thanks to the absence of high-speed corners and long straights, Ferrari was able to place the SF-25 within a more optimal operating window, similar to what was observed in FP2 in Australia. Traction and corner entry confirmed the car’s strong mechanical grip.

Acceleration data from the exit of Saint Devote showed that the cars were aligned in terms of vertical compliance. The theory of an almost perfectly centered operating window is further supported by Leclerc’s throttle behavior, as he kept the pedal open through several corners—unlike Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, who had to lift off.

The run through the Casino section was also noteworthy, where Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were the fastest, with the Dutchman holding a slight advantage. From the end of sector one, Leclerc’s speed around his home circuit began to stand out, despite imperfect alignment settings. The issue reported by the Monegasque was an imbalance in car behavior when transitioning between right and left turns. Leclerc noted over team radio a pronounced difference: understeer in right-handers and oversteer in left-handers.

Despite weekend predictions suggesting Ferrari might struggle in slower sections or require a softer setup, Charles Leclerc highlighted the SF-25’s strong mechanical grip.

Also interesting was Leclerc’s approach through the Tabac corner, where he used a different technique compared to the other two drivers. The SF-25 allowed him to carry sixth gear briefly, while others reached only fifth. This “trick” enabled him to maintain an average speed 10 km/h higher. This brief shift into sixth gear may be linked to the SF-25’s imperfect balance, meaning that once the issue is resolved, Charles Leclerc could potentially take Tabac even faster.

From that section onward, the gap to Max Verstappen widened, with Charles Leclerc consistently faster through the remainder of the lap—except at Rascasse.