Lewis Hamilton Sets Best Time in Monaco Grand Prix Free Practice 2 Ahead of Charles Leclerc

Lewis Hamilton set the best time in the second practice session of the Grand Prix de Monaco on Friday, finishing ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.

“Everyone was waiting for a Ferrari to be on the pace among the curves of the Principality, and the Scuderia answered, dominating Friday's free practice, with Charles Leclerc fastest in the morning and Lewis Hamilton posting the best time in the afternoon”

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Eurosport said Hamilton’s fastest lap came on the circuit of Monaco over 3,337 km, with Leclerc second and Verstappen third by 111 and 168 millièmes de seconde respectively.

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France Racing put the gap in different terms, saying Leclerc’s first reference was 1.14.491 and that Hamilton then posted 1.13.729, with Verstappen later improving to 1.13.467.

Corriere dello Sport also placed Hamilton first in FP2 with a 1:13.026, adding that Verstappen was 168 millesimi behind the British driver and that George Russell and Kimi Antonelli followed behind the Ferrari pair.

Askanews likewise described Hamilton as fastest in Libres 2 with an 1’13″026, placing Verstappen third and George Russell fourth while Kimi Antonelli was fifth.

The FP2 session was interrupted by a mechanical failure for Lando Norris, with Eurosport saying the McLaren stopped after only eight tours and could not restart during the remaining 45 minutes.

Eurosport also tied the red flag to a fire, stating that a new drapeau rouge came when the front right brake on Sergio Pérez’s Cadillac took fire five minutes from the end.

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Grandprix247 reported that Leclerc spent much of Friday “wrestling with brake issues” and quoted him saying, “We’re facing quite a few issues on the brakes on my side, so we’re trying to fix those.”

Grandprix247 also quoted Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur urging caution, saying, “I don’t care about this kind of approach or rumours. We have to do the job.”

Nice-Matin described the same FP2 turning point around soft tyres, saying Lando Norris stalled at the port chicane in the 15th minute and that Hamilton then responded with 1:13.026 after Leclerc’s 1:13.137.

With Ferrari’s 1-2 pace in FP2, multiple outlets framed Saturday’s qualifying as the next decisive step, including Sky Sports saying Qualifying is at 3pm on Saturday.

“There's something that's clearly working for Ferrari this weekend in Monaco”

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Eurosport noted that the session’s final minutes were cut by the red flag, while France Racing said the direction de course released the remaining 21 pilots for the last minutes before a start test.

Grandprix247 described Leclerc expecting a tight pole fight, quoting him that “it’s going to be a tough Qualifying” and that “it’s going to be very tight.”

Sky Sports also set the race schedule for Sunday, stating that the Monaco GP starts at 2pm, with the European run of races beginning as the title race heats up.

Devdiscourse concluded that Ferrari’s Friday pace put them in position to seize pole, while Sky Sports added that Monaco’s tight layout and difficult overtaking make qualifying especially important.