First Free Practice Report & Results 2025 Monaco F1 GP

Event: Monaco F1 Grand Prix
Track: Monaco Circuit

Weather: dry  21°C
Tarmac: dry  39°C
Humidity: 44%
Wind: 2.5 km/h

Leclerc Shines at Home Amid Chaos in Monaco FP1

Welcome to the streets of Monaco, where sun, speed, and a splash of drama combined for a fiery start to the 2025 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix weekend. In a session where the barriers had more touches than a handshake convention, Charles Leclerc silenced his critics—and his own doubts—by topping the timing sheets in FP1. But oh boy, it wasn’t smooth sailing…

🎯 Ferrari Fast... and Feisty

Charles Leclerc had claimed Ferrari would "struggle here." Turns out, he's either a master sandbagger or the Prancing Horse found some unexpected grip in the tight corners of his home circuit. Despite a messy start that saw him collide with Lance Stroll at the hairpin—resulting in a shredded front wing and a red flag—Leclerc bounced back in style. His 1m11.964s lap was enough to finish the session fastest, leaving Max Verstappen (+0.163s) and Lando Norris (+0.286s) chasing shadows.

And yes, the Monegasque is looking to break his hometown curse. Could 2025 finally be the year?

💥 Crashes, Contacts & Carbon Fiber Confetti

The session was barely five minutes old when Stroll and Leclerc tangoed at the tightest point on the track. Stroll pulled aside to let a Mercedes through but cut back onto the racing line just as Leclerc arrived at warp speed. Result? Contact, chaos, and carbon carnage.

The Aston Martin suffered suspension damage and gearbox woes, sidelining Stroll for the rest of FP1—a huge blow in a weekend where rhythm is everything.

Mercedes weren’t spared either. Lewis Hamilton had a wild airborne moment after clipping the barriers and launching off the sausage kerbs at the chicane. He limped back to the pits needing a damage check and maybe a chiropractor.

🧱 Barrier Kisses and Rookie Woes

FP1 was like a Monaco welcome party—except the walls were the bouncers. Kimi Antonelli nudged the wall at Turn 3 late in the session, joining a long list of drivers who got a little too intimate with the barriers. George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, Norris, and Hamilton all left their tyre marks on the scenery.

And let’s talk traffic: it was like rush hour in Rome. Verstappen’s hot laps were repeatedly interrupted, Gasly nearly snapped over misbehaving backmarkers, and poor Isack Hadjar was left swearing blue into the radio waves. With all 20 drivers scrambling for space, it’s clear qualifying will be a game of chess at 300km/h.

🏎️ The Pecking Order (Sort Of)

Take the times with a grain of salt—some drivers didn’t even use the softest C6 compound, and others hit traffic on their flyers. That said, Leclerc’s benchmark suggests Ferrari might be more competitive than expected, while Red Bull, true to form, looked like they were playing the long game.

Notable mentions: Albon and Piastri were comfortably in the mix, while Hamilton's moment of airtime halted his rhythm. Rookie Antonelli hovered around P11, still finding his groove on these unforgiving streets.

🔮 What’s Next?

FP2 kicks off at 17:00 local time, and with the temperatures rising and tensions flaring, expect more fireworks. The key question: is Ferrari’s pace for real or just an illusion powered by engine mode 11?

Stay tuned. It’s Monaco, baby—anything can happen… and usually does.

FP1 Times Table 2025 Monaco GP

The quickest sector times during this first practice session were:

• Sector 1: 18.589 sec by Charles Leclerc with the Ferrari SF-25.
• Sector 2: 33.951 sec by Oscar Piastri with the McLaren MCL38.
• Sector 3: 18.941 sec by Lando Norris with the McLaren MCL38.

Last year the quickest lap time of FP1 was a 1:12,169 min, driven by Lewis Hamilton with the Mercedes W15.

✅ Check out our 2025 Monaco F1 Grand Prix Preview.

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