Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time during the opening practice session for Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Hamilton posted a time of 1:12.169s on Soft tyres shortly before a brief red flag period caused by Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu brushing the barriers exiting Sainte Devote.
Zhou’s car did not sustain damage but debris from the advertising banners affixed to the barriers was ripped onto the track, and was struck by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton’s effort left him 0.029s faster than McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Their respective team-mates, George Russell and Lando Norris, classified third and fourth respectively.
Ferrari set eye-catching lap times on the harder tyre compounds early in the session as both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were committed from the outset of the session.
Neither ran the Soft tyres but Leclerc’s effort on Mediums was still strong enough for the local hero to finish the session in an impressive fifth position.
Sainz wound up at the foot of the top 10, ahead of Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, who also opted against using the Soft tyres in the session.
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were sixth and seventh respectively for Aston Martin, with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo finishing in eighth and ninth.
Valtteri Bottas was 13th for Sauber, ahead of Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, who sandwiched Williams’ Alex Albon.
Alpine had a difficult start to the weekend as last year’s podium finisher Esteban Ocon was only 18th, while Pierre Gasly finished slowest.
Gasly’s session was compromised by a wastegate issue that confined him to Alpine’s garage for much of the duration.
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