Monaco – Free Practice 3: Vettel in the wall, Leclerc on top but under investigation
Sebastian Vettel made a mistake at the beginning of the session, crashing his Ferrari into the barriers at the first corner, leaving doubt about his participation in qualifying. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc set the fastest time but is under investigation for not respecting the yellow flags following his teammate's incident.
A new day begins on the streets of Monaco under a gray sky and a temperature of 19 degrees in the air. Weather conditions are not expected to change much for the rest of the weekend, and rain is expected by tomorrow.
The Williams team quickly comes onto the track for this third free practice session. Robert Kubica and George Russell need track time to understand the erratic behavior of their Williams.
Surprising since the beginning of the weekend, Alexander Albon takes the best time of 1:13.775 at the start of the session. The Toro Rosso driver is, of course, using the Softest tires provided by Pirelli.
The serious business begins with the first times from Ferrari and Mercedes. Charles Leclerc and then Valtteri Bottas take the fastest time. The Finn ultimately leads Sebastian Vettel by almost 3 tenths. Lewis Hamilton is further back, only 8th, notably behind the two Renaults of Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg. The British driver complains of vibrations on his Mercedes.
Dramatic turn of events after only 15 minutes: Sebastian Vettel goes straight in the first corner and crashes violently into the Techpro barriers. The German’s session ends there, with the left front wheel torn off and the suspension bent. The four-time world champion is furious, and uncertainty now looms over his participation in the upcoming qualifying.
⚠️ VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR ⚠️
Vettel into the barriers at Sainte Devote 😮#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/LJGlidfnEW
— Formula 1 (@F1) 25 mai 2019
Once Vettel’s Ferrari is cleared by the marshals, Hamilton sets the fastest time ahead of Bottas with 1:12.034. Max Verstappen follows in second place, less than two-tenths behind. His teammate Pierre Gasly is in fourth place, nearly half a second behind. Can the Red Bulls spring a surprise at Ferrari’s expense this weekend?
Behind the three leading teams, the two Toro Rossos of Albon and Daniil Kvyat are leading the way. Kevin Magnussen completes the Top 10 with his Haas. The Renault engines are struggling a bit more this weekend as the Renaults and McLarens are grouped between the 12th and 15th positions. The French engine manufacturer, who admitted to having deliberately limited its engine in recent races, still hasn’t found the solution to be competitive.
On the contrary, the Ferrari block is indeed the fastest engine on the grid, as evidenced by the top 4 speed peaks of the Ferraris and Alfa Romeos on the Monaco track.
288 kph = 179 mph
Who said Monaco was a slow track?! 🚀#F1 pic.twitter.com/XLaBHGgG1l
— Formula 1 (@F1) 25 mai 2019
Could it be a cursed day for Ferrari? Charles Leclerc is placed under investigation by the race stewards for not respecting the permitted speed under the Virtual Safety Car regime following Vettel’s off-track excursion…
👀⬇️ We’ll keep you posted#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/EP1mNWfNrA
— Formula 1 (@F1) 25 mai 2019
The two Renaults showed a slight improvement at the end of the session with Nico Hülkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo placing in 6th and 7th positions. They were ultimately outpaced by the two Toro Rossos and the experienced Kimi Räikkönen in his Alfa Romeo, who clinched a fine 7th place, while his teammate Antonio Giovinazzi finally woke up and took a surprising 6th position. Charles Leclerc, despite the sword of Damocles still hanging over him following his investigation, nevertheless set the fastest lap on Soft tires, a mere half-tenth ahead of the two Mercedes.
█ END OF FP3 █
TOP 10
LEC
BOT
HAM
VER
GAS
GIO &clap;
KVY
MAG
RAI &camera;
ALB #MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/tzlkoU30E0
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 25, 2019
From our special correspondent in Monaco
