(Motorsport-Total.com) – Charles Leclerc secured the first fastest time of the weekend at his home Formula 1 race in Monaco (follow live in the ticker here). The Monegasque was the fastest in the streets of the Principality despite two excursions in Mirabeau, setting a best time of 1:13.978 minutes ahead of Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton.
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Hamilton was 0.226 seconds behind his teammate’s fastest time, with Max Verstappen (Red Bull) a further three tenths of a second back, being the first pursuer of the two Ferraris. Only then came the two Mercedes drivers, who had claimed all victories this season so far.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was the faster of the two Silver Arrow drivers, taking fourth place with a 0.559-second deficit, while George Russell was a full second behind Leclerc. Nico Hülkenberg started the Monaco weekend respectably in seventh place (+1.365), positioned in a McLaren sandwich between Lando Norris (6th) and Oscar Piastri (8th).
Hülkenberg’s teammate Gabriel Bortoleto also made it into the top 10 in ninth place, which Pierre Gasly (Alpine) completed.
Surprisingly good: Sergio Perez in the Cadillac, who in 14th place was able to shake up the midfield and was faster than both Haas, both Racing Bulls, and both Aston Martins, which once again were at the back of the field.
Isack Hadjar caused the big scare of the session with a hard impact in the Swimming Pool chicane. He remained unharmed, but the red flag had to interrupt the proceedings for a few minutes.
The most important things in brief:
Result: 1st Free Practice in Monaco
Photos: Grand Prix of Monaco 2026
Who had the first major impact of the weekend?
Isack Hadjar caused the first harder impact of the weekend about 25 minutes before the end. The Red Bull driver had lost control of his vehicle at the Swimming Pool and crashed into the guardrail at the exit.
However, the off-track excursion was quite unusual for this spot. While many drivers have crashed here in the past, they usually hopped over the curb. Hadjar experienced oversteer already at the entry and slid nose-first at a 90-degree angle into the track barrier, severely damaging his RB22.
The Frenchman was able to get out unharmed. “I don’t understand what happened there,” he radioed to his team. The incident interrupted the session for a few minutes.
Were there any other incidents?
Yes. A second red flag was caused by Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin). Four minutes before the end, his AMR26 skidded before the harbor chicane and hit the guardrail on the outside. However, the Spaniard was able to drive back to the pits with a damaged front wing.
In addition, there were some minor incidents. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc already drove into the Mirabeau escape road on his very first lap but did not hit anything – he repeated the same four minutes before the end of the session. Teammate Hamilton had an incident at Sainte Devote, but he too was able to continue.
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At Haas, there was internal team friction between Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon. Ocon felt hindered twice by Bearman on his fast lap, who in turn called the Frenchman an “idiot”.
Why is the Audi yellow at the rear?
There is a striking visual change at Audi, which now has a rich yellow at the rear instead of red. Yesterday, the manufacturer unveiled a new supercar: the Nuvolari. The model bears the name of a famous pre-war racing driver: Tazio Nuvolari.
Nuvolari was known for wearing a yellow sweater at every race. Over time, this color became inextricably linked with his character and the qualities he embodied on the track. And that is what the yellow on the Audi R26 in Monaco also stands for.
“There is no better place to revive this heritage than Monaco,” Audi states. “A place shaped by racing history, glamour, risk, and legends. A stage where the past still feels alive, but never old. In Monaco, history does not stand still. It moves, it shines, and it reminds us where we come from.”
What’s next at the Monaco Grand Prix 2026
At 5 PM, the second Free Practice is scheduled. The day’s events from Friday (June 5) will then be analyzed from 10 PM by Kevin Scheuren and Kevin Hermann in a livestream on the Formel1.de YouTube channel, which will naturally also include a look at the long-run data from the second practice session.
Formula 1 Saturday (June 6) in Monaco begins at 12:30 PM with the third and final Free Practice. At 4 PM, the qualifying for Sunday’s race will follow. Kevin Scheuren and Christian Nimmervoll will report from 10 PM in the YouTube livestream and discuss all important topics regarding qualifying.
On Sunday, the race start in Miami is scheduled for 3 PM. At 10 PM, Kevin Scheuren and Christian Nimmervoll will begin their Grand Prix analysis. As always, channel members can ask their questions live.
For all information on streams and TV broadcasts in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, please refer to our current overview. Details on the weather forecast can be found in our preview.
After Monaco, it’s straight on to the next race in Barcelona, which follows just one week later (June 14). (View the 2026 race calendar here!)
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