Lewis Hamilton ended Friday practice at the Monaco Grand Prix top of the timesheets, the seven-time world champion clocking a 1:10.984 around the Principality’s barriers to lead a Ferrari one-two on a day that suggested the Scuderia have finally unlocked their SF-26 on street circuits. Charles Leclerc, second-fastest by 0.067 seconds in front of his home crowd, was quick to temper expectations of a Ferrari runaway, warning that Saturday’s qualifying “is going to be incredibly tight” with Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes all within two-tenths across the long-run pace.
Hamilton’s afternoon time, set on a second push lap with five minutes of FP2 remaining, was the first occasion this season the Briton has topped a Friday session since joining Ferrari over the winter. It was also the quickest Friday lap around Monaco since 2024, despite cooler track temperatures and the championship’s new ground-effect regulations adding fresh complications to a circuit that punishes ride-height misjudgements more than any other on the calendar.
Ferrari find their Monaco sweet spot
For Ferrari, the headline numbers told only part of the story. Both cars completed 31 laps across the two sessions without a single off, and Hamilton’s long-run average on the medium compound — 1:14.8 over a 12-lap stint — was three-tenths clear of Lando Norris and four-tenths quicker than George Russell. Team principal Frederic Vasseur described the day as “encouraging but nothing more”, pointing to the historical pattern of Friday pace at Monaco rarely translating directly to Saturday afternoon.
The Maranello team have spent much of 2026 chasing a balance window that closes the moment kerbs enter the equation. Hamilton, who endured a difficult start to his Ferrari tenure with a best finish of fifth across the opening seven rounds, looked visibly more comfortable than at any point this year, dancing the car through Massenet and the Swimming Pool complex with the kind of commitment that defined his Mercedes peak.
- FP1 fastest: Leclerc, 1:11.412
- FP2 fastest: Hamilton, 1:10.984
- Gap to third (Norris): 0.118s
- Ferrari long-run pace advantage: ~0.3s/lap
- Hamilton’s first Friday top spot for Ferrari
Leclerc plays down home advantage
Leclerc, who has never won his home grand prix despite four pole positions at the circuit, was characteristically cautious in the post-session media pen. “The lap times look nice, but Monaco has a way of changing overnight,” the Monegasque said. “Red Bull were sandbagging in FP1, McLaren had a balance problem they were chasing the whole day, and we still have work to do on traction out of the chicane. It will be incredibly tight.”
His concerns were not without foundation. Max Verstappen, third on combined times despite Red Bull running heavy fuel in both sessions, suggested the RB22 would find “three or four tenths” overnight, while Norris recovered from a near-miss with the wall at Sainte Devote to end the day fourth on a final qualifying simulation. Russell, who beat Hamilton on the road in Imola two weeks ago, was a further three-hundredths back in the upgraded Mercedes.
The 2026 regulations, which reduced downforce by roughly nine per cent and introduced active aerodynamics on the straights, were widely expected to hurt cars at Monaco more than anywhere else. Yet Friday’s lap times were within half a second of the 2024 qualifying benchmark — evidence, Vasseur suggested, that mechanical grip has become the new differentiator at street venues.
What it means for Sunday
Monaco remains the race where qualifying matters more than any other; the last driver to win from outside the front row was Sergio Perez in 2022, and only nine of the past 50 winners started lower than third. A Hamilton pole on Saturday would be his first since the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix and would put the 41-year-old in genuine contention for a 105th career victory — and a first for Ferrari since Carlos Sainz at Mexico in 2024.
For Leclerc, the stakes are different but no less significant. A home win would not only end the so-called “Monaco curse” that has dogged him since 2018 but also reopen a championship picture that Verstappen has begun to dominate, the Dutchman leading the standings by 34 points after consecutive victories in Imola and Barcelona.
Ferrari have the pace. Whether they have the execution — and the weather, with rain forecast for Saturday morning — to convert Friday’s promise into a result remains the question that will define the weekend.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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