Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in Monaco FP1 as Hadjar and Alonso crash

Charles Leclerc topped opening practice for the Monaco Grand Prix on Thursday, setting a 1m13.978s at his home circuit to lead a Ferrari 1-2 ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, while Isack Hadjar crashed his Red Bull to trigger a red flag with 25 minutes remaining.

The result backed up widespread pre-weekend expectation that Ferrari would be the team to beat in Monaco, with the SF-26’s strength in slow-speed corners making it a natural fit for the streets of the principality. Hamilton slotted in 0.226s behind Leclerc, with Max Verstappen fourth and 0.513s off the pace in his Red Bull.

Leclerc’s session was not without incident. In the opening minutes he locked up into the Turn 5 escape road on hard tyres, the compound most teams chose early in FP1. Traffic also proved a persistent problem on the tight circuit, with Haas pair Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman frustrating each other in the congested early running.

Mercedes held the initiative through the first half of the session, with Kimi Antonelli briefly going quickest on mediums with a 1m14.537s before Ferrari left the garage on the softer compound. Hamilton took top spot with a 1m14.204s, only for Leclerc to respond moments later and become the first driver to dip below 1m14s.

The session’s most significant disruption came from Hadjar, who lost the rear of his Red Bull at the Turn 15-16 chicane and slid into the barrier — his second crash in three weekends following his retirement in Miami. The red flag was brief, with green conditions resuming after roughly ten minutes.

Fernando Alonso also suffered a crash during the session, adding to a disrupted afternoon for several drivers. Verstappen was vocal about his Red Bull’s tyre degradation, radioing that his tyres were “just dead” midway through the session, and the four-time champion was unable to challenge the leading pair despite switching compounds.

Leclerc’s session was further framed by off-track news: his signing of a new Ferrari contract was the dominant paddock story heading into the weekend, which marks Formula 1’s first European race of the 2025 season.