Monaco GP practice as it happened

By: Jake Boxall-Legge, Megan White, Haydn Cobb

Summary


	Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in Monaco GP FP2, just ahead of Sainz Hamilton best of the rest in third, Verstappen fourth and Bottas fifth Session ends under red flags after Schumacher stops out on track after colliding with the barriers at Massenet Monaco GP FP3 takes place on Saturday at 1100hrs BST
	Leaderboard 1. Leclerc, Ferrari 2. Sainz, Ferrari 3. Hamilton, Mercedes 4. Verstappen, Red Bull 5. Bottas, Mercedes 6. Norris, McLaren 7. Gasly, AlphaTauri 8. Perez, Red Bull 9. Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo 10. Vettel, Aston Martin

Status: Stopped

17:25 So, it is time to digest all that action and cast an eye on what could follow this weekend. Remember, we'll be back with live text commentary on Saturday ahead of FP3 that starts at 11AM BST. Until then, go well!

17:22 Here's the full FP2 report on a fascinating day at Monaco: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-monaco-gp-leclerc-heads-sainz-for-ferrari-1-2-fp2/6512006/

17:08 Are Ferrari back in the big time? All will be revealed on Saturday - don't forget about that day off tomorrow - so there is a whole 48 hours to wait to find out. Any ideas on what to fill the extra time with?

17:04 So, Charles Leclerc takes hometown glory - for today at least - as he tops Friday practice ahead of Sainz in a Ferrari 1-2. Hamilton has to settle for third place but in front of title rival Verstappen.

17:01

17:00 Or not - as the FIA race control screen states the session will not be restarted. So that is your lot.

16:59 The FIA-to-team radio feature pops up again! This time it is race director Michael Masi to the McLaren team stating they will aim to restart the session to allow practice starts. That's effectively all they will have time for now.

16:56 Ah, now there is a red flag. With less than four minutes to go in FP2 that'll probably be all for today.

16:56 The Haas driver keeps his car going until the Nouvelle chicane where he sensibly finds the run-off and parks up.

16:54 Mick Schumacher has been bitten by the Monaco walls. He's got a right-rear tyre puncture after drifting wide and off the racing line at Massenet.

16:50 We've spent a lot of time focusing on the top runners, so it is worth noting Norris is also well placed for McLaren in sixth ahead of Gasly, Perez and Giovinazzi.

16:48 So far the drivers coming back out from the pits are sticking to the usual long run plans - some on mediums but most on softs - so in terms of the timesheet order that should be largely settled now.

16:45 Glory run or not, that Leclerc lap will catch the attention of everyone assuming nobody else goes for another qualifying-style run with only 15 minutes to go.

16:42 Leclerc goes fastest! He puts in a 1m11.684s on a clear track to go one tenth of a second faster than his team-mate. A Ferrari 1-2 at Monaco. What fun.

16:41

16:40 Not for long though, as Hamilton finds time on his latest soft tyre run to move up to second place with a 1m12.074s. Still some 0.278s off Sainz, mind.

16:38 Leclerc and Verstappen both go oh-so-close to the walls on their latest quick laps, but for Leclerc it is worthwhile as he moves up to third place with a 1m12.093s.

16:37 "It feels like my eye is bleeding, I will carry on, but it feels like I am crying," Vettel, somewhat disturbingly, says over his team radio. I guess we are all allowed to get emotional returning to Monaco.

16:35 Only Tsunoda is missing from the soft lap running currently due to his earlier meeting with one of the barriers.

16:33 Sainz goes top for Ferrari with a 1m11.796s - yes, you read that right - with Verstappen slotting into second for Red Bull with a 1m12.081s. That shuffles the Mercedes pair to third and fourth respectively.

16:32 Bottas, on his second push lap, is the next to come a cropper at the Nouvelle chicane so has his next lap time deleted. The same fate falls on Russell, Hamilton (again) and Mazepin.

16:29 Hamilton's first soft tyre push lap is a messy one at the Nouvelle chicane, bouncing over the sausage kerb, so duly loses time. Bottas, with no such trouble, goes top with a 1m12.107s.

16:27 Latifi, on said soft tyres, has come to a halt at the hairpin. The Williams driver didn't get his car fully rotated so to avoid clattering the outside wall he pulls up, reverses and goes on his merry way.

16:26 Soft tyres alert: They are everywhere! Qualifying simulations are coming up just as Bottas moves up to P2 with a 1m12.711s.

16:24 Very early days still, technically a day early given FP2 is usually on a Friday, but the familiar Mercedes vs Red Bull tussle for top spot looks to have Ferrari right behind but ahead of the rest. Or is Ferrari just flexing its muscles?

16:21

16:20 Sainz breaks up the Hamilton vs Verstappen fight by slotting into second place on the times with a 1m12.749s using the hard tyres. So far that Ferrari looks fast.

16:19 "Ahh, I hit the rear," Tsunoda radios to his AlphaTauri team. He's duly ordered to pit and does so, but no major damage has been reported.

16:16 Lots of faster lap times still being clocked with fuel loads dropping - but nobody has ventured on to the softs yet - with Hamilton on top with a 1m12.569s and 0.2s faster than Verstappen.

16:15 There are a handful of lap times being scratched out for drivers going over the Nouvelle chicane with Stroll, Tsunoda and Vettel the latest offenders.

16:13 Hamilton, with no such traffic problems, demonstrates what he can do on a clean lap with a 1m12.772s to go top by four tenths of a second.

16:12 ...the Red Bull driver does improve but finds traffic around the final few corners so can only put in a 1m13.241s.

16:11 Laps everywhere you look with only Russell in the pits at the moment. Here comes another fast lap from Verstappen...

16:10 Second time around Hamilton gets it right, and matches Verstappen's new top time of 1m13.499s to put, literally, nothing between the pair.

16:08 Perez, quickest in FP1 remember, slots into second place just 0.110s off his team-mate. Not such a smooth start for Hamilton, who cuts the Nouvelle chicane and has to ease off on his first timed effort.

16:06 Sainz's time at the top is short-lived by a super lap on the mediums from Verstappen who sets a 1m13.961s.

16:05 As a result, Leclerc's first timed effort gets halted by other drivers lining up to start a lap in the final few corners. No such problem for Sainz though, who goes top early on with a 1m14.997s on the hard tyres.

16:04 Not for long though, as the reigning F1 world champion enters the fray shortly after, but with 20 cars on track it means one thing and one thing only: traffic.

16:02 In fact, there are 19 out of the 20 drivers completing out-laps - only a certain Lewis Hamilton is a little tardy in joining the action. Must have had a big lunch.

16:01 Just like first practice, plenty of drivers are heading out on the track straightaway, with Sainz leading the pack out of the pitlane. Time to get busy!

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