Monaco Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Ferrari back in business, Schumacher hits the wall
Charles Leclerc sets the fastest time of the session just ahead of his teammate, the top three is completed by Lewis Hamilton. Mick Schumacher, on the other hand, damaged his car at the very end of the session.
The first 20 minutes
After his morning mishap and a temperamental gearbox, Charles Leclerc immediately wanted to make up for lost time in Free Practice 1. As for his teammate Carlos Sainz, the work had to be done for both cars this morning.
Many drivers are forced to slow down on their fast laps, due to traffic on the streets of the principality. In addition to having to manage their laps this weekend, they will also have to deal with traffic to line up a perfect lap. As they pass, the drivers have gained confidence and get closer and closer to the walls, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have brushed the wall, while Yuki Tsunoda actually hit it at the swimming pool section, end of the session for the Japanese driver!
From the start Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fought at the top of the timesheet, the British driver setting a time of (1:12.569) ahead of Carlos Sainz (+0.142) and Max Verstappen (+0.180).
At midday
The Alpines are still struggling, after a first unsuccessful free practice session, the French single-seaters still seem to have trouble finding the pace, stuck in the middle of the time table.
We witnessed a heated moment between Sergio Perez and Mick Schumacher, with the former not letting the German through on a fast lap. The Haas driver had to hit the brakes to avoid a collision.
The times started to drop when the teams put on their cars the red tires, a range of soft tires brought by Pirelli this weekend. With 20 minutes left in the session, it was Carlos Sainz who was the fastest, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. It seems that the Spaniard is very comfortable with his Ferrari on the streets of the principality.
The last 20 minutes
Charles Leclerc, perhaps stung by his teammate, managed to increase the pace to temporarily place his Ferrari at the top of the timing leaderboard (1:11.684). The two Ferraris are showing a good pace this weekend, which should motivate a team in need of podiums.
Second driver to see the rails up close, Mick Schumacher damaged the right rear suspension of his Haas when arriving at the casino, it’s over for the German driver.
Red flag and end of this free practice session, due to the Haas and its driver being present in the escape area at the exit of the tunnel.
Ferrari remains the leader in Free Practice 2, with Charles Leclerc ahead of Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton.
Timetable
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:11.684 | 30 | |
| 2 | Sainz Jr. | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:11.796 | +0.112 | 32 |
| 3 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:12.074 | +0.390 | 28 |
| 4 | Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:12.081 | +0.397 | 27 |
| 5 | Bottas | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:12.107 | +0.423 | 32 |
| 6 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:12.379 | +0.695 | 24 |
| 7 | Gasly | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:12.498 | +0.814 | 28 |
| 8 | Perez | Red Bull Racing | 1:12.708 | +1.024 | 24 |
| 9 | Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:12.746 | +1.062 | 28 |
| 10 | Vettel | Cognizant Aston Martin Racing | 1:12.982 | +1.298 | 26 |
| 11 | Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:13.065 | +1.381 | 31 |
| 12 | Alonso | Alpine F1 Team | 1:13.175 | +1.491 | 27 |
| 13 | Stroll | Cognizant Aston Martin Racing | 1:13.195 | +1.511 | 26 |
| 14 | Ocon | Alpine F1 Team | 1:13.199 | +1.515 | 28 |
| 15 | Ricciardo | McLaren F1 Team | 1:13.257 | +1.573 | 26 |
| 16 | Russell | Williams Racing | 1:13.509 | +1.825 | 32 |
| 17 | Latifi | Williams Racing | 1:13.593 | +1.909 | 31 |
| 18 | Mazepin | Haas F1 Team | 1:14.407 | +2.723 | 26 |
| 19 | Schumacher | Haas F1 Team | 1:14.416 | +2.732 | 25 |
| 20 | Tsunoda | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:14.829 | +3.145 | 11 |
