Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton surprised by Ferrari's pace in Monaco

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari impressed in the first practice session in Monaco setting a fastest lap time of 1m11.684s to pip his teammate Carlos Sainz to top spot by one tenth of a second. Ferrari’s speed left Mercedes and championship leader Hamilton in third, three tenths of a second off the pace.

The result came as a surprise after Mercedes and Red Bull dominated the early part of the season. Hamilton was upbeat following Thursday’s practice running in Monaco as F1 returned to the principality for the first time in two years, but made note of Ferrari’s impressive performance.

HAMILTON ON FERRARI’S PACE

Hamilton when asked about what he thought of Ferrari’s pace in Monaco “I think the Ferraris are really strong, surprising to see them improve so much, but that’s great. It means more competition.”

The result marked Ferrari’s first one-two in any F1 session since the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, when Sebastian Vettel led Leclerc in second practice at Interlagos.

Ferrari had slumped to its worst championship finish in 40 years last season after experiencing a severe drop in form, ending its long-running tussle with Mercedes that could be rekindled this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton is chasing a fourth Monaco victory this weekend as he looks to extend his 14-point lead over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship. Verstappen ended FP2 fourth fastest, just seven thousandths of a second behind Hamilton.

Hamilton was pleased with how his Mercedes W12 car was performing through practice on Thursday, but felt there was still work to be done.

Teammate Valtteri Bottas ended the day fifth in the sister Mercedes car, but felt he was struggling on turn-in around the slower-speed corners.

“I’m lacking quite a bit of front end in the car on this track,” Bottas said.

It will be a very interesting and exciting race weekend as the Monaco Grand Prix returns after a two-year absence.