(Motorsport-Total.com) – Kimi Antonelli secured the fastest time in the third free practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix. After Ferrari had dominated Friday in the Principality, the Mercedes team, which has been leading the championship so far, improved just in time for the last session before perhaps the most important qualifying of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
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Due to a red flag, the final practice session had to be interrupted precisely during the hot phase, the last 15 of 60 minutes. Four minutes before the end, it was released again for a final time-attack showdown. But none of the top drivers managed to improve their times.
So Antonelli remained in first place with a time of 1:12.720 minutes, followed by local hero Charles Leclerc. However, the Ferrari driver was apparently not as satisfied with his car as he had been the day before: “These brakes are terrible, terrible,” he complained on his last run.
The onboard comparison of Antonelli and Leclerc on Sky after practice showed subtle differences in line choice. Most notably: especially in Massenet, Antonelli drove a visibly tighter line, and the youngster was also more aggressive at the tunnel exit/harbor chicane.
Lewis Hamilton, fastest in the second free practice, finished third with a gap of 0.331 seconds, followed by – already with a respectful distance – George Russell (+0.763). Russell, however, had to abort his attempt on fresh tires due to the red flag, which diluted his performance.
On the topic:
Results: 3rd Free Practice GP Monaco
F1 Ticker: Paddock live with Ruben Zimmermann
F1 Show: Livestream on YouTube and Twitch (10 PM)
What was the reason for the red flag?
15 minutes before the end of practice, the first major crash of Saturday occurred. Oliver Bearman (Haas), approaching Massenet, had just overtaken Russell on the dusty outside line, abruptly lost grip, and hit the guardrails. A classic accident sequence for that section.
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Bearman, however, didn’t just blame the line choice: “Sorry, guys. It’s the damn bottoming out,” he complained in his first reaction on team radio. He broke off his rear wing and couldn’t continue, but at least he sustained no injuries and was able to get out of the car on his own.
The interruption lasted eleven minutes.
Were there any other surprises?
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) finished 5th with a gap of 0.942 seconds to Antonelli, followed by a tight midfield with Oscar Piastri (McLaren/+0.978), Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), Lando Norris (McLaren) and Nico Hülkenberg (Audi/+1.330).
An interesting scene occurred at the very end when Norris first complained that Hamilton had held him up, “on purpose.” Hamilton, on the other hand, explained on team radio that Norris had braked too late and then made it look like Hamilton’s “blockade” was to blame.
What happens next?
On Saturday at 4:00 PM, perhaps the most important qualifying of the entire 2026 Formula 1 season awaits in Monaco. Because on no other Grand Prix track in the world is overtaking so difficult, which is why a good starting position is already considered half the battle for a good result.
A detailed analysis will follow on Saturday evening at 10 PM on the Formel1.de YouTube channel. Under the direction of host Kevin Scheuren, Monaco Saturday and the most important topics of the day will be highlighted and commented on.
The race on Sunday starts at 3 PM. The Formel1.de livestream is also scheduled for Sunday at 10 PM (subject to change).
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