2026 Monaco GP FP1: Leclerc leads Ferrari one-two

Charles Leclerc delivered an early statement of intent at his home race by topping the timesheets during a disrupted opening practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix, leading Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a strong one-two for the Scuderia around the streets of Monte Carlo.

As Formula 1 returned to Europe and the battle for the 2026 F1 World Championship continued to gather momentum, Ferrari immediately looked comfortable around a circuit many had earmarked as a potential opportunity to challenge Mercedes’ dominance. Leclerc ultimately finished fastest with a lap of 1m 13.978s, ending the session 0.226s clear of Hamilton, while Max Verstappen completed the top three after an eventful opening hour that featured two red flag interruptions.

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With the green light scheduled for 1330 local time, there was little hesitation from the drivers as a queue formed at the end of the pit lane before the session had even begun. Monaco specialist Sergio Perez, victorious in the Principality back in 2022, was among the first drivers to head out as the entire field started the weekend on the hard compound tyre.

2026 Monaco Grand Prix FP1 Results

2026 Monaco Grand Prix FP1, 5 June 2026

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:13.978	31
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+0.226s	28
3	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.513s	26
4	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+0.559s	31
5	63	George Russell	Mercedes	+1.005s	29
6	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.313s	27
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	+1.365s	27
8	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+1.587s	29
9	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+1.772s	31
10	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+1.850s	32
11	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	+2.011s	33
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+2.063s	31
13	6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	+2.170s	14
14	11	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	+2.192s	28
15	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	+2.211s	32
16	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	+2.314s	31
17	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	+2.355s	31
18	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	+2.411s	34
19	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+2.453s	31
20	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+2.700s	21
21	77	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	+3.482s	27
22	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+3.578s	16

Home favourite Leclerc was also eager to begin his preparations following the recent announcement of a new long-term Ferrari contract. However, the Monegasque driver suffered an early scare when he locked up approaching Mirabeau and ran straight on, forcing him to reverse before rejoining the circuit and continuing his programme.

Elsewhere, Racing Bulls duo Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson both complained of steering issues around the famous Fairmont Hairpin, while the opening benchmark time came from Hamilton. The Ferrari driver posted a 1m 15.617s to move almost three tenths clear of Verstappen, with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar briefly occupying third position.

Hadjar’s place near the top was soon taken by Lando Norris, whose return to Monaco came 12 months after securing his maiden victory around the Principality. The McLaren driver was looking to help mark the team’s 1000th Formula 1 race weekend with another strong performance.

There was also a flashpoint inside the Haas garage as Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman became frustrated with one another on track. Ocon appeared unhappy with the amount of backing up from his team-mate, while Bearman voiced his own concerns over Ocon’s positioning during their laps.

As the session settled into a rhythm, Leclerc moved to the top of the standings with a 1m 14.928s, opening a significant half-second advantage over championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton, however, continued to look competitive and soon climbed ahead of the Mercedes driver to reinforce Ferrari’s encouraging early pace.

Hamilton then suffered a lock-up of his own at Sainte Devote, running wide before returning safely to the pits. By the halfway stage of the session, several teams had begun switching from the hard tyre to the medium compound, including Antonelli and George Russell as Mercedes continued to evaluate long-run performance.

With more drivers changing to the C4 medium tyre, the order quickly began to shuffle. Antonelli briefly moved to the top of the timesheets while Norris produced an impressive save after a moment on one of his flying laps.

Not everyone escaped trouble.

Hadjar became the first driver to find the barriers when he crashed at the Swimming Pool chicane, damaging his Red Bull and bringing out the session’s first red flag. The Frenchman quickly confirmed over the radio that he was unharmed before returning to the garage, while marshals worked to recover the stranded RB22 and repair the circuit.

The interruption proved relatively brief, allowing the session to restart with just over 15 minutes remaining.

The final phase of practice effectively became a qualifying simulation run for much of the field as teams chased outright pace on the medium tyres. Verstappen voiced frustration over the radio, asking Red Bull to “fix this release”, while Hamilton returned to the top of the leaderboard with a lap of 1m 14.204s.

That benchmark did not last long.

Leclerc responded with the first lap of the weekend in the 1m 13s bracket, producing a 1m 13.978s that ultimately remained unbeaten until the chequered flag. The Ferrari driver’s pace reinforced expectations that the Scuderia could be Mercedes’ biggest threat this weekend on a circuit where mechanical grip and driver confidence outweigh outright straight-line performance.

The session was not without further controversy. Officials confirmed that an impeding incident involving Leclerc and Lawson would be investigated after the conclusion of practice, while Lawson later reported brushing the barriers during his lap. Lindblad also found himself under scrutiny for an alleged impeding incident involving Oscar Piastri.

A second red flag followed shortly afterwards when debris was scattered across the track after Fernando Alonso clipped the barriers on the exit of the tunnel, damaging the front wing of his Aston Martin.

Although the session resumed for a final sprint to the finish, there was not enough time for anyone to challenge Leclerc’s benchmark effort.

The Ferrari driver therefore ended the opening practice session on top ahead of Hamilton, securing an encouraging one-two result for the Italian team. Verstappen finished third, while the Mercedes pairing of Antonelli and Russell completed the top five in fourth and fifth respectively.

Norris took sixth place for McLaren, while Audi enjoyed a promising start to the weekend with Nico Hulkenberg seventh and Gabriel Bortoleto ninth. Oscar Piastri slotted between the two Audi drivers in eighth, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten.

Williams duo Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz finished 11th and 12th, ahead of Hadjar, Perez and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto. The Haas pair of Bearman and Ocon followed in 16th and 17th respectively, with Lindblad and Lawson classified behind them.

Lawson’s difficult afternoon appeared set to continue beyond the chequered flag, with the New Zealander also facing investigation for allegedly leaving the pit lane during a red light procedure.

Further down the order, Alonso, Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll completed the final positions in the classification.

Attention now turns to Free Practice 2, scheduled to begin at 1700 local time, where teams will continue refining their setups ahead of what is expected to be a crucial qualifying session around Formula 1’s most demanding street circuit.