Charles Leclerc Leads Again in Monaco GP Practice as Ferrari Sets the Pace
Charles Leclerc continued to impress on home soil by once again topping the timesheets during Free Practice 2 at the 2025 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver built on his earlier success from FP1, where he had already set the benchmark, by clocking an even faster lap in the second session—this time a 1:11.355, a notable six-tenths improvement over his morning performance. This strong showing reinforced hopes among local fans of a long-awaited home victory for the Ferrari driver.
Close behind was McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who delivered a competitive 1:11.385 lap time—just 0.030s slower than Charles Leclerc—despite suffering a minor brush with the barriers. The incident occurred with roughly 20 minutes remaining in the session, but it did little to hamper the Australian’s momentum as he recovered swiftly and returned to the pits.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc’s teammate Lewis Hamilton showcased encouraging form in the second Ferrari, registering a 1:11.460. His afternoon run marked a substantial improvement of more than a second over his FP1 effort, suggesting Ferrari may have found an effective setup early in the weekend.
Lando Norris secured fourth place on the timesheets, trailing by two-tenths of a second. Behind him, the Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar completed the top six. Despite his pace, Hadjar endured a turbulent session, with two separate crashes underscoring the fine margins on the Monte Carlo street circuit.
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Alex Albon (Williams), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) rounded out the top ten, with all drivers separated by just half a second—highlighting the tight competition expected in qualifying.
The session was briefly halted just eight minutes in after Hadjar clipped the inside barrier at the Nouvelle Chicane. The impact was enough to damage his left rear corner severely, forcing him to limp back to the garage under red flag conditions. The extent of the damage served as a harsh reminder of how little room for error exists around the unforgiving Monaco layout.
Later in the hour, Oscar Piastri became the second victim of the circuit’s narrow confines. The McLaren driver appeared to carry too much speed into Sainte Devote and ended up nudging the barriers with the front end of his MCL39. Fortunately, he managed to keep the car running and reversed away from the scene, rejoining the session after another red flag interruption.
As the clock wound down, Hadjar once again found himself in trouble—this time losing control on exit at Sainte Devote. He slid into the wall, damaging the rear suspension. Audibly frustrated over team radio, he referred to himself as “stupid” and “dumb” while making his way back to the pits, clearly disappointed with his error-strewn session.
Despite the drama elsewhere, all eyes remained on Leclerc, whose double lead in both free practice sessions will be seen as a major statement of intent. With Ferrari showing competitive pace early in the weekend, hopes are high that Charles Leclerc can convert his practice dominance into a strong qualifying performance and, ultimately, a memorable home victory.
Leave a Reply