Third Free Practice Report & Results 2026 Monaco F1 Grand Prix

Event: Monaco F1 Grand Prix
Track: Monaco Circuit

Weather: dry  22°C / 73°F
Tarmac: dry  30°C / 86°F
Humidity: 55%
Wind: 2.1 km/h North-East
Pressure: 1017 mbar

Antonelli Stuns Ferrari In Monaco FP3

Kimi Antonelli threw Monaco qualifying wide open by topping final practice for Mercedes, beating Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton as Ferrari’s Friday authority took a proper hit before the grid-deciding session.

The Italian rookie looked completely at home around the Monte Carlo streets, setting a 1m12.720s to finish more than three tenths clear of Leclerc. Hamilton ended third, just 0.004s behind his Ferrari team-mate, with George Russell fourth and Max Verstappen fifth.

Mercedes Find Their Monaco Bite

Ferrari had looked like the team to beat after Leclerc and Hamilton topped Friday’s two practice sessions, but Mercedes found something overnight.

Antonelli was the driver who made best use of it. He attacked the circuit with conviction, repeatedly looking settled in a car that seemed far more compliant than it had 24 hours earlier.

Toto Wolff was cautious rather than carried away, noting that Leclerc had been on a strong lap before making an error at Turn 10. Still, Antonelli’s pace was not a fluke. Around Monaco, confidence is lap time, and the Mercedes rookie had plenty of both.

Russell, meanwhile, admitted he was not quite as comfortable in the car, although ruling him out in qualifying would be unwise. Monaco has a habit of rewarding the driver who finds one clean lap at exactly the right moment.

Ferrari Still Dangerous Despite Brake Concerns

Leclerc remains firmly in the fight, but his session was not entirely smooth. The home favourite continued to wrestle with a brake issue, and traffic also cost him a proper shot at responding to Antonelli late on.

Hamilton completed a strong Ferrari showing in third, just 0.331s off the benchmark, leaving the Scuderia very much in the mix despite losing top spot.

Ferrari’s one-lap potential is still obvious. The question is whether they can tidy up the details before qualifying, because at Monaco a small imperfection can turn pole into a second-row headache.

Bearman Crash Brings Late Red Flag

Ollie Bearman’s session ended in the barriers at Massenet after he lost the rear on the run up the hill. The Haas driver was quickly out of the car and unharmed, but the impact scattered debris and forced a red flag.

Bearman apologised over team radio, blaming bottoming, while Haas now face a race against time to inspect the car properly before qualifying. The rear impact means the gearbox will inevitably be checked closely.

The red flag also hurt several late qualifying simulations, with McLaren among those left frustrated by the interruption.

McLaren Still Searching

McLaren’s Monaco weekend remains awkward. Norris lost valuable running in FP2 after stopping at the Nouvelle chicane, with the team later replacing the wiring harness and ESME pack after breaking curfew.

Piastri also had a messy Friday after brushing the barriers, and neither McLaren looked especially comfortable in final practice. Norris and Hamilton then had a late traffic moment, the sort of Monaco irritation that makes engineers reach for the aspirin, though Race Control did not note the incident.

For a team that took pole and victory here last year with Norris, this has been a scruffier start than expected.

Qualifying Set Up For A Street Fight

Antonelli’s headline time changes the mood before qualifying. Ferrari still have the pedigree, Verstappen is lurking, Russell is capable of finding a lap, and Mercedes suddenly look far more threatening than they did on Friday.

Monaco rarely forgives hesitation. Antonelli has put himself right in the argument, but the real test now comes when the walls feel closer, the track gets busier, and one lap can define the entire weekend.

FP3 Times Table 2026 Monaco GP

The quickest sector times during this first practice session were:

• Sector 1: 19.059 sec by Kimi Antonelli with Mercedes W17.
• Sector 2: 34.261 sec by Kimi Antonelli with Mercedes W17
• Sector 3: 19.290 sec by Kimi Antonelli with Mercedes W17

Last years quickest lap time of FP3 was a 1:10,953 min, driven by Charles Leclerc with the Ferrari SF-25.

✅ Check out our 2026 Monaco F1 Grand Prix Preview.

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

Related topics