Monaco Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Charles Leclerc in great shape at home

Under a magnificent blue sky and summer weather, the Principality of Monaco hosts the seventh event of the season. One week after Max Verstappen’s victory in Spain, Formula 1 drivers return to the historic circuit of Monaco. And in this place worthy of the most beautiful postcards, everything is real: the water, the marina, its rocky peaks… Now second in the championship behind the Dutchman (six points separate the two drivers, editor’s note), Charles Leclerc will try to regain his place as the leader and forget about the mishaps he encountered in Barcelona with, perhaps, a victory on his home soil.

And what better way to start the weekend than by enjoying the best weather? In 1:14.531, the driver was ahead of Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz by a few tenths. Throughout this first free practice session, Charles Leclerc demonstrated his perfect knowledge of the circuit. Swiftly maneuvering through the corners, the Monegasque driver seemed unruffled. With a very good pace, the Ferraris were consistently setting the fastest times. In fact, at the start of the session, the two drivers from the Scuderia were the only ones using the medium tires, while the others were completing laps with the hard tires. While Mercedes found some positive signs in Barcelona, particularly with the disappearance of porpoising, Lewis Hamilton once again complained about experiencing a significant amount of bouncing in his car. “It’s driving me crazy,” he told his engineer. On the contrary, his teammate continued to perform well in his own car.

🚩 RED FLAG 🚩

Schumacher is stranded at the pit lane entry following an issue with his car#MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/fLZlOGY9uN

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 27, 2022

A first session tainted by a red flag. Mick Schumacher encountered a mechanical issue, stopping him in front of the pit lane. The other drivers were unable to enter even under a red flag regime. The car was unable to move without the help of the marshals. The Haas driver’s session came to an end after thirty minutes. But he wasn’t the only one experiencing mechanical problems. Valtteri Bottas didn’t even bother to leave the pits. Alfa Romeo was making several adjustments to the Finnish driver’s car. Once the problem was resolved, the session could resume. The drivers continued to gather data for race pace. The first session was also marked by numerous incidents at the first corner. It’s worth noting Pierre Gasly’s good performance, finishing in the top 10. As for Max Verstappen, he positioned himself in fourth place.

The ranking of the first free practice session