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Live Update: Experience First Practice Action at Monaco GP
Highlights
- First practice session held for 2026 Monaco Grand Prix Friday
- Charles Leclerc led session, followed by Max Verstappen
- Teams tested Pirelli soft, medium, and intermediate tires
- Minor incidents included spins and track limits warnings
- Drivers adapting to Monaco’s challenging, narrow street circuit
- Strategy and qualifying crucial due to limited overtaking
Charles Leclerc tops first practice for the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix on Friday in Monte Carlo, with Max Verstappen close behind as teams begin fine-tuning for qualifying.
Clear conditions and stable track temperatures allow comprehensive run plans, with programs built around baseline setup work and long-run correlation on a circuit that punishes imprecision.
The session also frames the weekend’s competitive order, expanding the data set established in the opening practice phase and sharpening focus on track position.
Leclerc’s Ferrari looks responsive on turn-in and stable in traction zones, suggesting productive updates after recent refinements. Verstappen’s Red Bull shadows the benchmark, indicating minimal margin between the frontrunners.
Lando Norris and George Russell feature inside the top ten, underlining a tight midfield-to-frontrunner spread that will magnify any execution errors. Read more on Norris’s Monaco approach here.
“It was a 50-50 call,” Oscar Piastri says of the brief intermediate running, reflecting early-session uncertainty.
Pirelli’s soft and medium compounds dominate the plans, though a short damp patch prompts cautious intermediate checks. Teams quickly revert to slicks to maximise representative learning.
The majority of running proceeds on a dry surface, enabling mechanical balance work through the bumps and kerbs, with aero efficiency tuned for stability through Swimming Pool and Rascasse.
Leclerc leads FP1 with Verstappen close, setting up a fine-margin qualifying battle.
Minor incidents, including spins and track limits warnings, reinforce Monaco’s demand for discipline. Drivers chase the line without sacrificing margin against the walls.
George Russell notes ample scope for improvement after recent setbacks, while Mercedes targets confidence on entry and rear stability under traction to protect tyre life.
Track position is king in Monaco; qualifying performance typically dictates race outcome.
With overtaking limited, teams prioritise single-lap execution and tyre preparation windows. Expect heavy emphasis on out-lap management and clean track placement in Q3.
Ferrari’s early pace will draw attention as rivals assess long-run degradation and warm-up trends, tying into the latest Ferrari Monaco update priorities.
The event remains a centrepiece of the calendar, with strategy nuance likely minimal but decisive. Preview the wider weekend picture in the Monaco Grand Prix guide and the ongoing build-up coverage.
Visual Summary
LECLERC P1 ?
VERSTAPPEN P2
NORRIS
RUSSELL
?
?
?
Tire strategy
(Soft / Int)
(Soft / Int)
⤾
Spins
& track limits
& track limits
Leclerc’s Home Charge!
The local hero storms to the top in Practice 1—testing the limits of the notorious Monaco maze
Ferrari fever on the streets of Monte Carlo ??
Ferrari fever on the streets of Monte Carlo ??
VS
Verstappen in Pursuit
Red Bull holds tight, setting up a qualifying showdown and weekend drama.
Rivalry renewed ?
Rivalry renewed ?
⚠️
Tight corners / No room for error
?
Data Day: Teams tuned setups, learned tire secrets, and pushed for that Monaco edge.
“It was a 50-50 call on tyres. Every lap counts here.”
—Oscar Piastri, on Monaco’s practice craziest moment
Minor dampness, track-edge moments, and Monaco’s endless tension: the world’s trickiest qualifying takes shape.
? Friday practice at Monaco: Leclerc leads, but every lap is a fight for perfection, and tyre chaos always lurks. The street circuit drama has only just started.
Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.
