Hamilton leads Ferrari to FP2 1-2 at Monaco as Norris retires early

Lewis Hamilton topped second practice at the Monaco Grand Prix on Friday with a 1m13.026s, completing a dominant day for Ferrari that saw the Italian outfit lock out the top two positions in both FP1 and FP2. Charles Leclerc, who had led Hamilton in the opening session, finished 0.111s behind his team-mate in second.

The session was disrupted early when Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, suffered a mechanical issue with his MCL40 just 12 minutes in. The McLaren driver was sent down the Nouvelle Chicane escape road and took no further part, triggering a virtual safety car that lasted until the 20-minute mark.

Ferrari’s pace through Monaco’s slow-speed corners has made the team the early favourite this weekend. Mercedes arrived as the form side, having won all five grands prix of the 2026 season — including the last two on sprint weekends — but the Scuderia showed clear signs of threatening that run on the streets of the principality.

With the soft tyre fitted midway through the hour-long session, Max Verstappen briefly led the way with a 1m13.194s in his Red Bull, while George Russell moved ahead of the Ferrari pair with a 1m13.515s for Mercedes. Ferrari, however, had been holding back. Leclerc then posted a 1m13.137s before Hamilton went quickest of all, and those times stood unchallenged across the final 22 minutes.

The session was ultimately ended five minutes early by a red flag after Sergio Perez’s Cadillac stopped at Casino Square trailing smoke. Verstappen was classified third, Russell fourth, and championship leader Kimi Antonelli fifth in the second Mercedes, 0.503s off Hamilton’s benchmark.

Isack Hadjar took sixth for Red Bull despite a late start to FP2 following a crash in the opening session, a positive recovery for the young driver ahead of Saturday’s qualifying.