Monaco Practice: Contrasting Results
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc Dominate Monaco Practice as Sainz and Alonso Struggle
Ferrari dominated Friday practice at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finishing first and second across both sessions. Hamilton set the fastest lap of the day in FP2 with a 1:13.026, just 0.111 seconds ahead of his teammate Leclerc, according to Motorsport.com.
Max Verstappen slotted into third, 0.168 seconds off Hamilton's pace. But the story for Spanish fans was painful: Carlos Sainz finished 12th and Fernando Alonso ended the day last, in 20th place, far off the leading pace on the streets of the Principado.
Hamilton and Leclerc Make Ferrari Look Untouchable
Leclerc was fastest in FP1 with a 1:13.978, showing the Ferrari SF-26 is perfectly suited to Monaco's slow, twisty layout. Hamilton then took over in FP2, going even quicker. The Ferrari is built on strong low-speed mechanical grip — exactly what Monaco's 19 tight corners demand. Hamilton said: "Our car is good at low speed so I think we will be competitive."
Technical analysts point to a key Ferrari advantage: a smaller turbo that spools up faster out of slow corners. On a track like Monaco — just 3.337km long with almost no straight-line speed sections — that edge matters enormously. With overtaking nearly impossible, a front-row lockout on Saturday could make Ferrari "untouchable" in the race, according to RacingNews365.
Alonso's Gearbox Nightmare Ruins His Friday
Fernando Alonso had a miserable Friday. His Aston Martin suffered random, uncontrolled downshifts during both sessions, causing the rear wheels to lock up suddenly. He also clipped the barrier at the Nouvelle Chicane after a front-brake lock-up, triggering a red flag in FP1. Alonso did not hide his frustration afterward.
"Monaco is not the place to have a random downshift," Alonso said. "You will crash into the wall, and the driver will look stupid." The gearbox problem is reported to lose sync at speeds below 40 km/h — precisely the speed at the Loews hairpin, one of the slowest corners in Formula 1. If the issue is not fixed before qualifying, Aston Martin risks a very damaging weekend, according to Formula1.com.
Sainz Battles an Overweight Williams in 12th
Carlos Sainz fared better than Alonso but still finished a distant 12th. Williams is struggling with its FW48 chassis, which is carrying excess weight compared to rivals. Sainz himself called the situation a "test of faith" for the team, according to Motorsport.com. The extra weight hurts most in Monaco, where car balance and precision are everything.
Williams has been working to shed weight from the FW48, but the fixes have not arrived in time for Monaco. For Sainz, a driver who won here in 2023, finishing outside the top 10 in practice is a sharp reminder of how far the team still needs to go to compete at the front.
2026 Rules Changed F1 — And Ferrari Loves Them
This season brought the biggest rule change in Formula 1 history. Cars are 200mm shorter and 100mm narrower than in 2025, and weigh 32 kilograms less. Power is now split equally — 50% from the combustion engine and 50% from the electric motor. The new cars are smaller and more agile, which has played right into Ferrari's hands in Monaco, according to The Race.
Mercedes, led by championship leader Kimi Antonelli — who holds a 43-point gap in the standings — has won every race in 2026 so far. But Antonelli finished only 5th in FP2 and called his car "unpredictable" on the street circuit. Monaco could be the first weekend where Ferrari finally breaks the Silver Arrows' perfect record. Qualifying on Saturday will be decisive — on this track, the race is almost always won and lost at the front of the grid, with just four overtakes recorded in the entire 2025 Monaco race, per Crash.net.
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