Hamilton Tops Monaco FP2 as Antonelli and Alonso Hit With Pit Lane Fines

Lewis Hamilton led a Ferrari one-two during Friday practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, posting a fastest lap of 1:13.026 to edge out teammate Charles Leclerc. The session was disrupted by a pair of mechanical setbacks, with Lando Norris suffering an early power failure and Sergio Perez's brake fire bringing out a late red flag.

Why it matters:

Monaco is a circuit where grid position frequently dictates the race outcome, making Friday performance a vital barometer for the weekend. Hamilton topping the timesheets in a Ferrari one-two sends a clear signal that the Scuderia has hit the ground running on the unforgiving streets of Monte Carlo. Meanwhile, the Friday setbacks for McLaren and Red Bull offer an opening for Ferrari to capitalize if those issues carry over into Saturday.

The details:

• Pit lane fines: Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso each received €100 fines for exceeding the 60 km/h pit lane speed limit during FP2. Antonelli was a mere 0.1 km/h over, while Alonso was 0.5 km/h over. Both penalties mirror the fine handed to George Russell for the same infringement in FP1.
• Ferrari pace: Hamilton set the ultimate pace with a 1:13.026, shading Leclerc and Max Verstappen as Ferrari locked out the top two positions. The result underlines the team's strong form at a venue where raw mechanical grip and driver confidence are paramount.
• Norris sidelined: Lando Norris's running ended after just 15 minutes when his McLaren MCL40 suffered a complete power loss at the Nouvelle chicane. McLaren CEO Zak Brown indicated a suspected battery issue and ruled out any further track time for the Briton in the session.
• Perez brake fire: With five minutes left on the clock, Sergio Perez pulled over with a front right brake fire, prompting an immediate red flag and concluding the session early.

What's next:

Ferrari will take encouragement from its dominant one-two, but converting that Friday speed into pole position during Saturday's qualifying remains the only metric that truly counts in Monaco. McLaren engineers now face a tight turnaround to isolate and replace the suspected battery problem on Norris's car ahead of FP3, while Red Bull must complete a thorough brake system inspection on Perez's machine to prevent a recurrence when the stakes rise.