Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton set the pace during Thursday’s opening practice session for Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas traded fast times at the front of the pack before the Briton edged clear on a 1:12.106s, using the Soft tyres.
It is the first time Mercedes has topped a session in Monaco since the corresponding practice in 2017.
Mercedes looked set to record a 1-2 but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen recovered from a wide moment at Mirabeau Haute to split the Mercedes driver, trailing Hamilton by just 0.059s.
Verstappen was just 0.013s clear of Bottas, who in turn had a couple of close calls with the Armco, brushing it through the exit of the final corner on one push lap.
Local favourite Charles Leclerc placed fourth for Ferrari, 0.361s down on Hamilton, with team-mate Sebastian Vettel – sporting a helmet tribute to the late Niki Lauda – a further three-tenths behind in fifth position.
Pierre Gasly occupied his now-customary spot as the slowest of the leading sextuplet, with his best effort over a second down on Red Bull team-mate Verstappen.
Gasly was just four-hundredths of a second clear of Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, as the manufacturer displayed an upturn in pace, with defending race winner Daniel Ricciardo 11th.
Both Haas drivers were black-flagged by the FIA early in the session on request of the team, who were unable to communicate with either driver due to technical issues.
Haas resolved the problem and its drivers were able to return to action, with Kevin Magnussen eighth and Romain Grosjean completing the top 10.
Alfa Romeo also showed stronger pace compared to its recent display in Spain, with Kimi Raikkonen ninth, while Antonio Giovinazzi was a competitive 12th.
Toro Rosso took 13th and 14th, with Daniil Kvyat ahead of Alexander Albon, while Lando Norris was the lead McLaren driver in 15th, as Carlos Sainz Jr. was beset by technical problems.
Sainz Jr. managed just one installation lap early on due to a communication issue between the ERS and Energy Store on his McLaren MCL34 that kept him in the garage for the bulk of proceedings, and the team was able to get him back on track with just seconds remaining in the session.
Racing Point and Williams lacked pace during the session, with Sergio Perez in 16th position, three-tenths behind McLaren’s Norris.
Stroll, meanwhile, lagged four seconds off the pace, enabling George Russell and Robert Kubica – who spun his FW42 through the exit of Casino Square – to take 17th and 18th respectively.
Second practice is scheduled to begin at 15:00 local time
