Ferrari Dominates Monaco FP1 as Hadjar Suffers Heavy Crash

Ferrari locked out the top two spots in first practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, with home hero Charles Leclerc leading Lewis Hamilton by 0.226 seconds. The session was twice red-flagged – first for a significant crash by Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, then for a late spin from Fernando Alonso. Max Verstappen completed the top three, half a second off the pace.

Why it matters:

Practice pace on the tight Monaco streets often translates directly into qualifying performance. Leclerc's early confidence on medium tyres puts Ferrari in a strong position, while Red Bull faces questions after Hadjar's violent exit – the second major shunt in consecutive weekends after his Imola practice crash. Mercedes and McLaren look to be playing catch-up.

The details:

• Hadjar's crash: With 25 minutes left, Hadjar lost the rear of his RB22 at the swimming pool chicane, slamming nose-first into the barrier and ripping off his left-rear wheel. He reported being OK but admitted confusion: "I don't understand why it snapped."
• Alonso's spin: Inside the final five minutes, the Aston Martin driver lost the rear exiting the tunnel, grazing the barrier with his front-right corner. Debris littered the run to Nouvelle chicane, but Alonso limped back with only front wing damage, finishing 20th.
• McLaren's struggles: Lando Norris was sixth, 1.3s off, while Oscar Piastri placed eighth after two nose changes. The team trialled a new front wing first seen in Canada, but lacked pace.
• Cadillac's soft-tyre gamble: Sergio Perez ran the only soft-compound run of the session, finishing 14th and within three tenths of the top 10 – a promising sign for the backmarker team.
• Mercedes split: Kimi Antonelli (fourth) looked more comfortable than George Russell (fifth), beating him by nearly half a second. Antonelli briefly topped the times on mediums.

What's next:

Teams now head into FP2 later today, where low-fuel qualifying simulations will provide a clearer picture. Ferrari's early advantage is real, but Red Bull's rapid recovery from Hadjar's crash and Mercedes' potential on softer compounds could shake up the order. All eyes are on whether Leclerc can convert practice promise into pole position on his home track.