F1 LIVE: Ferrari team to beat as Monaco GP FP3 gets underway – follow along here!

The weekend in Monte Carlo has already kicked off in thrilling fashion, with drivers and teams pushing hard to extract every last tenth of performance ahead of qualifying and Sunday’s race. For some, it has proven to be a productive Friday with clear gains in pace, while for others it has been a day to forget. But how did FP1 and FP2 actually unfold in Monaco?

The weekend began in exciting style, with home favourite Charles Leclerc topping the timesheets in the opening practice session. The Monegasque driver set a 1:13.978, finishing over two tenths clear of teammate Lewis Hamilton in second. Max Verstappen, in the Red Bull, was third quickest in the morning session, but the four-time world champion was more than half a second adrift of Leclerc’s benchmark.

Further down the order, aside from Kimi Antonelli, who was just over half a second off Leclerc, the rest of the field found themselves over a second behind the Ferrari driver. The standout moment of the session, however, came when Isack Hadjar hit the wall at the exit of the Nouvelle Chicane. The French driver appeared to push a little too hard, losing the rear of the car and making heavy contact with the barriers. Fernando Alonso also had his own incident, brushing the wall at the same corner in the closing stages of the session.

FP2 followed a similar pattern at the sharp end, although this time it was Lewis Hamilton who led the way ahead of Leclerc. Verstappen also looked far more competitive, finishing just a tenth behind the Ferrari pair. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli improved in the Mercedes, closing the gap to within four tenths of a second. Once again, however, the remainder of the field were over a second off the benchmark set by Hamilton.

The session was briefly halted after Lando Norris came to a stop on track. The McLaren driver appeared to suffer a loss of power, likely caused by an electrical issue, just 15 minutes into the session.

Saturday now presents teams with one final opportunity to fine-tune their setups before the all-important qualifying session. Who are you backing to top FP3 in Monaco?

Rain cannot be completely ruled out, and as always in Monaco, the weather could yet play a decisive role over the course of the weekend. For Friday’s running, conditions remained sunny and humid, with temperatures ranging between 19°C and 25°C and just a 4% chance of rain.

On Saturday, cloud cover is expected to increase slightly, with a modest 8% chance of rain for FP3 and qualifying, while temperatures remain steady between 19°C and 25°C. By Sunday, conditions become more uncertain for the race itself, with temperatures forecast between 21°C and 27°C and a 25% chance of rain.