Hamilton leads Ferrari to Monaco FP2 1-2 as Norris exits early with mechanical trouble

Lewis Hamilton gave Ferrari a dominant Friday at the Monaco Grand Prix by topping second practice with a 1m13.026s, 0.111 seconds clear of team-mate Charles Leclerc — the second Ferrari 1-2 of the day after Leclerc had led Hamilton in FP1 at the principality.

The result underlines Ferrari’s strength in slow-speed corners and positions the Italian outfit as the team to beat heading into the rest of the Monaco weekend. The challenge is a significant one: Mercedes has won all five grands prix of the 2026 season so far, including the last two on sprint weekends.

The session was disrupted early when Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, suffered an unspecified problem 12 minutes in, sending his McLaren down the Nouvelle Chicane escape road and ending his afternoon. A virtual safety car followed before running resumed.

Leclerc moved to the top of the timesheets shortly after the VSC period with a 1m13.613s, but the session’s competitive phase intensified once teams switched to the soft tyre around the halfway mark. Max Verstappen briefly led with a 1m13.467s and then improved to a 1m13.194s in his Red Bull, while George Russell slotted into fourth with a 1m13.515s for Mercedes.

Ferrari had been biding its time. When Hamilton and Leclerc finally ran on soft rubber, Leclerc posted a 1m13.137s before Hamilton went quicker still with his session-best 1m13.026s. Neither time was beaten across the final 22 minutes.

The session ended under a red flag after Sergio Perez’s Cadillac stopped at Casino Square trailing smoke, leaving the order unchanged at the top. Verstappen was classified third, Russell fourth, and championship leader Kimi Antonelli fifth in the second Mercedes, 0.503s off Hamilton’s pace.

Isack Hadjar recovered from an FP1 crash to take sixth for Red Bull with a 1m14.087s, just 0.001s ahead of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren in seventh. Nico Hulkenberg was eighth for Audi.