By DCB Editorial, May 23, 2025
Charles Leclerc topped both practice sessions on Friday for the Monaco Grand Prix, capping a dominant day for Ferrari at his home race. He set the fastest time of 1m 11.355s in FP2, ahead of Oscar Piastri by just 0.038s. Lewis Hamilton continued Ferrari’s resurgence with the third-best time.
The session was disrupted by two red flags—first caused by Isack Hadjar clipping the barrier at the Nouvelle Chicane, and later by Piastri crashing at Sainte Devote. Both drivers managed to return to the pits and resume running.
Fernando Alonso briefly held the fastest time before Leclerc’s late-session improvements. Lando Norris and Liam Lawson rounded out the top five, while Max Verstappen, struggling with car issues and going off-track once, finished a muted 10th, just ahead of Yuki Tsunoda.
Notable incidents included another crash for Hadjar, a grid penalty for Ollie Bearman for overtaking under red flags, and continued frustration for Verstappen with traffic and car performance. Teams now prepare for Saturday’s critical qualifying session on the tight Monaco street circuit.
2025 Monaco Grand Prix: FP2 (Free Practice 2)
1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1:11.355
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.038s
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.101s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) – Time not specified, within top 4
5. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – Position confirmed
6. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – Close behind Lawson
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 1:11.890 (early session leader)
8. Alex Albon (Williams) – Ahead of Verstappen
9. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – Ahead of Verstappen
10. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – Just 0.004s ahead of Tsunoda
11. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – Just behind Verstappen
12. George Russell (Mercedes) – Behind Tsunoda
13. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – Behind Russell
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) – 14th
15. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 15th (with 10-place grid penalty)
16. Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber) – 16th
17. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 17th
18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 18th (with 1-place penalty)
19. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 19th
20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 20th