Hamilton on top, Leclerc hunting: Two cars out as Monaco FP2 ends in flames

Credit: Formula One

As it Happened

Lewis Hamilton topped a dramatic Free Practice 2 session for the Monaco Grand Prix, edging out Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc after an incident-filled hour around the streets of Monte Carlo.

With teams continuing to evaluate tyre performance around the unique demands of Monaco, much of FP2 focused on gathering long-run data across the soft and medium compounds. However, as is often the case in Monaco, the session quickly became less about strategy and more about survival.

The opening minutes saw drivers gradually build confidence on the evolving street circuit. George Russell was one of the first to set a representative lap, posting a 1:22.176, while Max Verstappen initially struggled to match the pace, recording a 1:24.039. Ferrari soon emerged as the benchmark, with Leclerc and Hamilton trading fastest sectors before Hamilton briefly moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1:14.300. Leclerc responded immediately with a 1:14.240 to reclaim first place.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri initially sat outside the leading group before improving to a 1:14.707, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli impressed with a lap just 0.016 seconds shy of Leclerc after setting the fastest Sector 3 time. Ferrari's pace continued to improve as Hamilton delivered a stunning 1:13.729, setting the quickest time in all three sectors.

The seven-time Formula One World Champion was fortunate to avoid a significant accident midway through the session at the Swimming Pool section, brushing close to the barriers at one of Monaco's most unforgiving parts of the circuit. Despite the scare, Hamilton remained firmly among the frontrunners.

One of the biggest stories of the session came from McLaren. Lando Norris brought out a Virtual Safety Car after stopping in a run-off area with a clutch issue. Initially appearing to have a chance of recovering the car, Norris eventually limped away, but the damage had already been done. Although he was eventually able to get the car moving again and return to the pits, the problem ended his participation in the session. The stoppage also significantly disrupted teammate Oscar Piastri's programme, costing the Australian valuable track time during a crucial phase of the session. McLaren CEO Zak Brown later confirmed the team would investigate the issue, adding: “We'll diagnose it, replace it and go again tomorrow morning.”

Piastri's afternoon remained challenging. After scraping the wall and reporting debris on track over team radio, he struggled to put together a fully competitive lap. Despite several improvements throughout the session, the Australian could only manage sixth, finishing nearly a second behind Hamilton's benchmark.

Elsewhere, Isack Hadjar returned to the track following his Free Practice 1 crash and immediately found himself in the spotlight once again. The RB rookie became involved in several traffic incidents, including one that frustrated Alex Albon. Albon said: “Oh my god, that's... that's really dangerous.”

Despite the incident, Hadjar continued to push towards the top ten. At one stage, Hadjar and Piastri were separated by just 0.001 seconds on the timing screens.

As teams switched to soft tyres in the closing stages, Ferrari once again asserted itself. Leclerc lowered the benchmark to a 1:13.137 before Hamilton responded with an even quicker 1:13.026, securing the fastest lap of the session. The Ferrari pair finished separated by just over a tenth of a second, reinforcing the Scuderia's status as a genuine contender heading into qualifying.

The session ended in dramatic fashion when Sergio Pérez reported: “There's smoke in the cockpit.”

His team immediately responded: “Box, box, box.”

Moments later, smoke developed into a visible fire on the Cadillac, bringing out the red flag with less than four minutes remaining and ending the session early.

With Hamilton fastest, Leclerc close behind and Norris sidelined, Monaco delivered another chaotic Friday practice session. Several drivers flirted with the barriers throughout the hour, setting the stage for an intriguing qualifying battle around the streets of Monte Carlo.