Monaco – Free Practice 1: Rosberg Weaves Through the Rails

The Sauber cars are the first to hit the unique track of Monaco. The two drivers are quickly joined by other drivers who embark on a reconnaissance lap to ensure everything is working perfectly on the car before starting the serious business. It is noteworthy that, unlike previous events, all regular drivers are lined up from the first practice. Track time is very important in the principality. However, it takes several minutes before a driver posts a time in this initial session.

The Monaco Grand Prix has been an opportunity for drivers to change their helmet designs for a few years now. This year, Pérez, Hamilton, Räikkönen, Alonso, Vergne, and Ricciardo, among others, have done so. Esteban Gutierrez, who keeps his usual headgear, is the first driver to go for a timed lap. The Sauber C32 completes the circuit in 1:29.219. Daniel Ricciardo significantly improves with a 1:24.466. For a few laps, both men improve each other’s times with each passing. Jean-Eric Vergne joins the party, but his first lap is 1:37.110.

Felipe Massa is the first major driver to complete a flying lap. 1:18.818 for the Brazilian driver from Scuderia. Other top drivers are finally leaving the pits, causing constant changes at the top of the standings.

With 40 minutes remaining in the session, Fernando Alonso is at the top of the timesheet with a lap time of 1:16.842. The Spaniard is ahead of Nico Rosberg, driving a Mercedes that is considered the favorite this weekend. Rosberg then improves Alonso’s time by 0.1 seconds. Massa, in third, is 0.8 seconds behind the German.

During this first session, the drivers are seeking the limit, which leads to some approximations. This is especially true for Romain Grosjean, who finds himself in trouble at the port chicane. Others, like Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas, also experience a few scares.

Only 20 minutes remain in this morning’s practice and Nico Rosberg is still ahead of everyone, even though Fernando Alonso has narrowed the gap. Romain Grosjean is third. Among the other French drivers, Vergne is 15th, Pic 20th, and Bianchi 21st.

At the end of the session, there is a lot of traffic on track. Adrian Sutil has a big scare at Sainte Devote. The German loses control of his car, spins, and narrowly avoids the tire wall, apparently without damage, but still returns to the pits to check that nothing is damaged on the VJM06.

A few seconds before the checkered flag, Romain Grosjean slips between the two Ferraris and positions himself in 3rd. The final trio is thus composed of Nico Rosberg (1:16.195) ahead of Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean. Let’s also highlight the great performance of Pastor Maldonado who places his Williams in 6th position.

Results of Free Practice 1 of the Monaco Grand Prix: