Hamilton Leads Ferrari Sweep in Monaco Practice

Lewis Hamilton led a Ferrari one-two in Monaco Grand Prix practice, underlining the Scuderia's status as weekend favorites. Hamilton edged Charles Leclerc by just over a tenth as Ferrari swept Friday's running, while Mercedes and McLaren showed unexpected vulnerability around Monte Carlo's tight and unforgiving streets.

Why it matters:

Ferrari has not won a Grand Prix since October 2024, but Monaco's unique slow and medium-speed corners play directly to their car's strengths. A front-row lockout in Saturday's qualifying would give Hamilton or Leclerc the perfect platform to end that drought and finally disrupt a season that Mercedes has dominated so far.

The details:

• Friday sweep: Hamilton set the pace in FP2, 0.111s ahead of Leclerc, after the pair had already finished one-two in the morning session.
• Rival gaps: Max Verstappen's Red Bull sat third, 0.168s off the pace. Mercedes' George Russell was 0.379s behind, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli trailed by half a second.
• McLaren's struggles: Lando Norris lost 45 minutes of track time to a suspected battery issue—the same fault that sidelined Russell in Canada. Teammate Oscar Piastri could manage only seventh, behind Isack Hadjar.
• Session interruptions: Hadjar crashed in FP1, and Sergio Perez caused a late red flag in FP2 when his Cadillac's brakes caught fire.

What's next:

Overtaking is nearly impossible at Monaco, making qualifying the decisive battle. If Ferrari converts their practice pace into pole position, Hamilton or Leclerc will be perfectly placed to control Sunday's race and finally return the Scuderia to the top step of the podium.