FP1 report: Charles Leclerc heads Ferrari one-two in opening Monaco practice session

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-26 sidepods, floor, 2026 F1

The 2026 Monaco Grand Prix weekend got underway with an emphatic statement from Ferrari, as Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets ahead of Lewis Hamilton in a dominant one-two finish during the opening free practice session around the streets of Monte Carlo.

Formula 1 returned to action for one of the most iconic events on the calendar, marking the start of the European phase of the season. Monaco also provided the first real test for the latest generation of cars on a circuit where active aerodynamics have been restricted, prompting several teams to introduce innovative rear-wing solutions that attracted plenty of attention before the session even began.

Another major talking point heading into the weekend was traffic management, with 22 cars sharing the narrow confines of the Principality. As expected, finding clear track space quickly became one of the key challenges for the drivers.

Conditions for FP1 were favourable, with an air temperature of 24°C, track temperature of 30°C, humidity at 63% and light south-easterly winds. Pirelli brought the softest tyre allocation in its 2026 range, consisting of the C3 Hard, C4 Medium and C5 Soft compounds.

Ferrari shines as Leclerc finds his rhythm

The first driver to head onto the circuit was Sergio Perez in the Cadillac, followed by Arvid Lindblad, Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, Franco Colapinto, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Traffic immediately became a factor around the tight Monaco layout.

Leclerc experienced an early scare when he ran wide at Mirabeau, although the Monegasque quickly recovered and continued without any issues. During the opening phase, all the leading drivers were running on the hard C3 compound, making lap times relatively unrepresentative as everyone focused on building confidence.

Lewis Hamilton appeared comfortable from the outset and was among the first front-runners to push harder, briefly moving to the top of the timing screens ahead of Max Verstappen.

Charles Leclerc then returned to the pits after reporting something uncomfortable inside the cockpit. The issue, believed to be related to the seating position, was quickly addressed by Ferrari’s mechanics. A second mistake followed when Charles Leclerc ran wide again at the Swimming Pool section, but the Ferrari driver gradually improved as he continued to build confidence with the SF-26.

After 15 minutes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli climbed to second place behind Lewis Hamilton, before Leclerc finally found his rhythm and moved to the top of the standings.

The home favourite immediately demonstrated why so many consider Monaco his strongest circuit. With a lap of 1:14.928, Charles Leclerc became the first driver to break the 1:15 barrier, establishing an early benchmark with 40 minutes remaining in the session.

Lewis Hamilton soon responded by moving into second place, just 0.182 seconds behind his Ferrari teammate.

Mercedes shows pace while McLaren experiments

The first drivers to switch to the medium C4 compound were Sergio Perez and George Russell after the half-hour mark.

Meanwhile, McLaren spent much of the session evaluating different front-wing configurations. The team initially ran the specification introduced in Canada before reverting to the previous version later in the session to gather comparison data.

Hamilton also had a brief excursion at Sainte Devote, although the mistake carried no consequences. Antonelli subsequently fitted the medium tyres and delivered an impressive lap of 1:14.537 to move to the top of the leaderboard. George Russell initially sat more than one second behind his teammate on identical tyres, although a stronger second attempt allowed him to close the gap and move into third place.

During this phase Ferrari remained in the garage preparing for another run. Hamilton requested additional front-wing angle to combat understeer before heading back onto the circuit.

Red flag interruption before Ferrari’s late charge

The session was briefly interrupted by a red flag after Isack Hadjar crashed at the second Swimming Pool chicane. The Racing Bulls driver’s car sustained significant rear-end damage, bringing his session to an early conclusion.

As is often the case in Monaco, marshals cleared the incident remarkably quickly and the session resumed with just six minutes remaining.

Ferrari immediately returned to the track on medium tyres and wasted no time making an impact.

Lewis Hamilton jumped to the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1:14.204, only for Charles Leclerc to respond moments later. The Ferrari driver delivered a superb lap to reclaim first place by 0.226 seconds, securing a Ferrari one-two at the top of the classification.

Behind the Ferrari pair, Max Verstappen finished third ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. McLaren appeared less convincing, with Lando Norris ending the session sixth and Oscar Piastri eighth.