Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the opening practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix despite being involved in a collision which stopped the session after just eight minutes.
The Ferrari driver tangled with Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin on the approach to the Fairmont hotel hairpin. Leclerc had just set the fastest time through the first sector when he caught Stroll, who was lapping slowly.
The Aston Martin driver was approaching the corner slowly, then moved towards the racing line as the Ferrari approached on a flying lap, leaving Leclerc no time or space to avoid him. The contact damaged the front wing on Leclerc’s car and left Stroll with significant rear suspension damage which ended his participation in the session.
The collision also left a significant amount of debris around the circuit and the session was red-flagged so the track could be cleared. It resumed with three-quarters of an hour remaining.
Once the session resumed, Leclerc was the only driver to lap his home circuit in less than 72 seconds, heading the times with a 1’11.964. However he was not happy with the balance of his SF-25. “the front-left is gone,” he told his team after one run. “I think there is something wrong with the car.”
Leclerc’s team mate Lewis Hamilton had an eventful session. He had to abandon one flying lap after encountering cars moving onto the racing line in the high-speed Massenet corner. Later on he caught Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Swimming Pool section and hit the apex kerb hard as he swerved to avoid the Mercedes, sending the Ferrari flying into the air, but out of the barriers.
Hamilton ended the session with only the ninth-fastest time. Verstappen got closest to Leclerc, lapping 0.16s off. Lando Norris took third for McLaren after going up the run-off road at Sainte Devote early in the session. Alexander Albon ensured the top four places were filled by different cars and Oscar Piastri completed the top five.
Several drivers had scrapes with the walls as they explored the limits of the track. Antonelli touched the barrier on the inside at Casino and Isack Hadjar did the same at the Swimming Pool, both without incurring any significant damage.
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2025 Monaco Grand Prix Grand Prix first practice result
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