Charles Leclerc and Ferrari take the spotlight on Friday in Monaco. These are only free practice sessions, but in the Principality the SF-25 shows a form far better than what would be expected from a car whose main weakness is slow corners. McLaren is preparing to fight, provided they can sort out the first sector, and Max Verstappen is not to be counted out either, confident in closing the gap to the front and possibly clawing back more championship points.
Ferrari is in
Andrea Stella had stated an hour before the first free practice session that he wouldn’t have been surprised if Ferrari turned out to be the car to beat in Monaco, a remark that surprised the journalists present, especially considering that less than a week earlier Charles Leclerc had warned the Principality would reveal all the weaknesses of their car.
Yet on the first day of on-track action, the Prancing Horse sends out important signals, not only for setting the best time of the day, but also for how naturally the local hero strung together laps, as well as Lewis Hamilton’s presence among the front runners.
The results are not enough to crown Ferrari as the qualifying favorite, considering the margin drivers kept in their driving, but they do show a car in much better shape than expected. The SF-25’s preference for higher-speed cornering is evident, with Charles Leclerc gaining a tenth and a half on the McLaren MCL39 cars in the first sector, featuring curves like Saint Devote, Massenet, and Casino taken at 100–150 kilometers per hour, the fastest on the track. The real news, however, is a Ferrari that can hold its own against McLaren in the second half of the lap, dominated by slow corners.
The Monaco anomaly
It is the peculiarities of the Principality that breathe life into a car that has struggled with slow corners since the start of the season. Deputy Team Principal Jerome d’Ambrosio noted that it was always difficult to judge competitiveness in high- or low-speed sections, as it depended on how the car was set up and on the average speed of the high-speed areas. The Belgian explained that, for example, long straights imposed certain limitations, whereas Monaco had fewer of them.
One of the SF-25’s biggest shortcomings is its ride height management. So far, excessive floor wear has forced the team to raise the car and stiffen the suspension, compromising mechanical grip and traction in slow corners. But in Monte Carlo, the straights and high-speed sections, where the car generates maximum downforce by pressing into the ground, are minimal, which mitigates the problem. Ferrari can therefore soften the suspension and regain competitiveness in the slow sections, on a track whose bumps force all teams, not just Ferrari, to raise the ride height.
Andrea Stella explained that in Monaco it was difficult to run the car close to the ground because doing so would require excessively stiffening the suspension, which would then compromise performance over the curbs. The former Ferrari engineer added that ideally the wheels should follow the track profile, but if the car was too stiff, it would not be able to do so. The Italian outlines the typical trade-off between generating aerodynamic load by running low and stiff or softening the suspension to favor mechanical grip and agility over bumps and curbs. Freed from excessive concerns about floor wear compromising the setup, Ferrari rediscovers in the SF-25 a car capable of handling surface irregularities, like its predecessors. Dreaming is allowed, but pole position for the Italian side will also depend on how well they can prepare and exploit the new tires in the qualifying session.
Verstappen targets McLaren
For now, the two Ferrari cars are split by Oscar Piastri, second and only 0.038 seconds behind Charles Leclerc. The narrow gap is partly due to the Australian setting his time later, benefiting from improved track conditions after losing time in the pits for repairs following a crash at Saint Devote. Nonetheless, McLaren’s drivers seem to be Ferrari’s main challengers heading into qualifying, taking advantage of an MCL39 that excels in slow corners. The first sector still needs work, where the gap to Charles Leclerc suggests a balance choice that compromises performance in the faster sections.
Mercedes is only ninth at the moment with Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Expectations were higher for the Silver Arrows, whose cars are usually strong in traction out of slow corners, showing once again that in Monaco, the type of corners isn’t everything. Things seem even worse for Max Verstappen, who finished the day in tenth, but the Dutchman is not disheartened: “In FP1 the car was okay. Then in FP2 we made some changes to fix the balance and I think we overdid it.” Red Bull, however, is known for making significant overnight progress, thanks in part to simulator work, and Verstappen believes he can challenge McLaren: “I’m confident we can get closer.” But watch out for possible surprises, including an excellent Racing Bulls, with Lawson setting the best time in the middle sector behind the Ferraris and the papaya duo.
Heading into the race
Drivers and Team Principals agree that qualifying will remain the most important session of the weekend, but the mandatory double pit stop increases the variables for the race. Full-fuel simulations show Charles Leclerc ahead, although he benefited from being the only one to run the hard compound over a long stint. Ferrari still proves to be a reference on medium tires as well, with Lewis Hamilton clocking slightly quicker times than Lando Norris.
Unlike Ferrari and Red Bull, however, McLaren and Mercedes choose to save two sets of hard tires for the race. Details that might seem minor, but behind the scenes teams are already considering possible strategic scenarios. Teams are realizing how the mandatory two-stop rule could have far greater consequences than initially anticipated, hinting at a highly tactical race where team dynamics will be crucial. But first comes a qualifying session still wide open, which could produce a grid very different from what was predicted beforehand.
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