Home Advantage for Leclerc Ahead of Piastri in Ferrari's Surprise Standings
In Monaco, Charles Leclerc claimed the fastest time during the opening practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix, despite an accident, with a time of 1:11.355 minutes. The Ferrari driver narrowly edged out championship leader Oscar Piastri, who recorded a time of 1:11.393 minutes in his McLaren.
Lewis Hamilton followed in third place, driving the second Ferrari. Meanwhile, reigning champion Max Verstappen, fresh off his victory in Imola, faced some issues and could manage only tenth place in his Red Bull. Nico Hülkenberg, driving for Sauber, improved on his home turf, securing 16th position.
With the winding and narrow Monaco track making overtaking challenging, Leclerc is now the favorite for pole position in qualifying on Saturday (16:00 CET/Sky). The 27-year-old has secured the first starting position in his home race three times previously.
The practice session was disrupted due to incidents on the track. Seven minutes into the session, Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar crashed into the guardrail, forcing a pause. At the start of the session, a collision between Leclerc and Aston-Martin driver Lance Stroll required the track to be cleaned. Stroll was given a grid penalty for the crash he caused, which will affect his starting position in the Grand Prix.
Piastri also had a setback during the session, damaging his front wing after hitting the guardrail. Following the incident, the Australian assessed the damage and returned to the track.
Before the eighth race of the World Championship on Sunday, Piastri leads the championship standings with a 13-point lead over his teammate Lando Norris. Verstappen is in third place, 22 points behind Piastri. The Dutchman has already won at the Côte d'Azur in 2021 and 2023.
The 2025 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying sessions saw Lando Norris secure pole position ahead of Charles Leclerc, with Oscar Piastri in third. Penalties affected the starting grid for the race. Lewis Hamilton was moved to seventh due to impeding Max Verstappen. Lance Stroll and Ollie Bearman were penalized and will start at the back of the grid. The full starting grid can be found in the Enrichment Data. The race on Sunday will determine the final championship standings.
Service tents around the Monaco track saw an increased demand, as drivers like Max Verstappen from Red Bull and Lance Stroll from Aston-Martin visited for repairs and adjustments. In the realm of auto-racing, sports like Formula 1 provide a unique blend of grand-prix racing and technical expertise, with each race offering a thrilling spectacle for fans.
