Carlos Sainz fastest for Ferrari in first Monaco GP practice; Fernando Alonso second for Aston Martin as Lewis Hamilton takes third in updated Mercedes; Max Verstappen struggles to sixth as Red Bull struggle; watch Practice Two live on Sky Sports F1 from 3:45pm on Friday
Last Updated: 26/05/23 1:48pm
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Alex Albon wrecks his car at turn one which red flags FP1 and ends the session
Alex Albon wrecks his car at turn one which red flags FP1 and ends the session
Carlos Sainz topped first practice at the Monaco Grand Prix for Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton taking an impressive third as Mercedes debuted major upgrades.
Fernando Alonso took second for Aston Martin, while world championship leader Max Verstappen could only manage sixth as Red Bull struggled at Formula 1’s most famous circuit.
The Dutchman’s team-mate Sergio Perez was fourth, heightening hopes for Red Bull’s rivals of ending the reigning constructors’ five-race winning streak to start the season.
Charles Leclerc, who has taken pole for Ferrari for the last two years at his home race, was fifth.
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Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz explains how Mercedes have adapted their car and the potential impact of their upgrades at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix
Mercedes, whose W14 hit the track for the first time with long-awaited upgrades, will be buoyed by Hamilton’s third place, but the seven-time world champion’s team-mate George Russell struggled to 15th.
As is always the case at the stunning and high-risk street circuit, there was drama and incident, with several drivers escaping contact with the barriers before crashes for Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon resulted in red flags.
The latter incident, a heavy shunt for Albon at the opening corner Sainte Devote, saw the session come to a premature end with three minutes left on the clock when it occurred.
More to follow…
