The eighth weekend of the 2025 Formula 1 championship kicks off in Monaco. On the streets of the Principality, the championship contenders cover their first laps to get familiar with an extremely narrow circuit where the walls are dangerously close. Eyes are naturally on the Ferrari SF-25 cars of Charles Leclerc, last year’s winner here, and Lewis Hamilton, who delivered a strong performance last Sunday at the Imola circuit in front of the Tifosi.
The SF-25 is, of course, under close observation this weekend because on a circuit where qualifying performance is practically decisive for the final result, the red car struggles quite a bit over a single lap, particularly due to its difficulty in bringing fresh tyres up to temperature and the chronic understeer of a car that, in “fast lap” configuration, struggles immensely.
Ferrari begins the first free practice session in Monte Carlo on medium compound tyres, a somewhat unexpected choice considering the two mandatory pit stops planned for this Grand Prix. For the Italian side, it is crucial to assess the car’s consistency. Charles Leclerc doesn’t start well: during the installation lap, he runs long at Mirabeau, caught out by the lack of grip on cold tyres, but manages to avoid hitting the barriers.
The car shows promising behaviour, despite the fact that it is still too early to draw conclusions. However, the session is suddenly interrupted due to contact between Charles Leclerc and Lance Stroll at the Fairmont hairpin. The Canadian fails to notice the approaching Ferrari and ends up being rear-ended. The SF-25 suffers a broken front wing and returns to the pits for checks, especially on the left suspension, which was struck by a broken part that landed in that area.
Red flag and first interruption of the weekend — a common sight in Monte Carlo. After checks on the car, Ferrari quickly sends the Monegasque driver back out with a new front wing and soft tyres, while Lewis Hamilton continues his programme on mediums. Confirmation comes from the pit wall for Charles Leclerc: no damage to his car after the contact with Lance Stroll, who broke his rear suspension and gearbox — ending his FP1 session.
Charles Leclerc, however, does not seem fully satisfied with the balance of his SF-25, which appears even more understeery than usual. He asks the pit wall to check for any issues, but no anomalies are found. Bryan Bozzi suggests adjusting some steering wheel parameters to improve the car’s response, but the Monegasque driver radios back again saying, “Right-hand corners I have understeer, left-hand corners oversteer.”
Evidently, there is some damage, but despite that, the car’s overall balance seems positive, as shown by Lewis Hamilton, who sets the fastest time on medium tyres before being beaten by Lando Norris and then his Maranello teammate on softs. The Briton looks immediately more confident and determined — crucial traits on a technical and demanding track like Monte Carlo.
After a brief pit stop, Lewis returns to the track on soft tyres: his first flying lap isn’t great, so he goes for another attempt. Overall, though, the Briton seems satisfied with this first taste of the Monaco track. He also has to deal with typical Principality traffic, with a tense moment on the climb to Massenet where he nearly brushes an Alpine — fortunately avoiding contact.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc appears to be in strong form: he sets the fastest time on already used soft tyres — a noteworthy detail, even though tyre degradation is almost non-existent in Monaco. Once again, the SF-25 shows good performance on used tyres, while struggling to deliver its best in the first laps on fresh compounds. Back in the pits, the Monegasque driver continues to report suspicious sensations at the front, insisting that damage still needs to be checked.
A big scare for Lewis Hamilton about ten minutes from the end of the first free practice session: the seven-time Formula 1 world champion hits the inside wall at the second Swimming Pool chicane after bouncing over the kerb. The contact forces him to return to the pits for a thorough check of his SF-25. Overall, the first practice session featured very different starts to the weekend for the two Ferrari drivers.
Charles Leclerc had a troubled beginning, between the off at Mirabeau and the contact with an inattentive Lance Stroll. In the second half of the session, however, despite his constant radio messages, his confidence with the car improved. The opposite happened with Lewis Hamilton: after a good start on mediums, he struggled on softs in the final phase, hindered by traffic and some mistakes that prevented him from completing a clean lap.
The final laps were dedicated to a sort of race-pace simulation, still necessary even in Monaco, a track where the leader usually dictates the pace — even if it’s slower than expected, as demonstrated by Charles Leclerc last year. The Monegasque, with a “crooked” car, managed to set the fastest time. It’s clearly too early to draw conclusions, but as starts go, it’s not bad at all.
— see video above —
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