2024 F1 Round 8 Monaco GP FP2: Leclerc fastest in 1m11.278s, five teams in the top five, Verstappen calls car a kangaroo

The second practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix, Round 8 of the 2024 Formula 1 season, ended in the early hours of 25 May, Beijing time. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in 1m11.278s, with FP1 pacesetter Lewis Hamilton second, 0.188s behind, as the Monegasque brought the opening day to a close.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris occupied third to fifth. Five different teams filled the top five, a closely matched picture suggesting a fierce qualifying battle. Carlos Sainz was sixth and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda 11th. Tsunoda was the quickest driver whose personal best had been set on medium tyres, beating Piastri by 0.017s, while team mate Daniel Ricciardo was 16th.

Even at the front, Leclerc still provided some heart-in-mouth moments. He lost control at both the Fairmont Hairpin and Turn 8, and also went off at Sainte-Devote, with one scare following another. The Monegasque will not have forgotten 2021, when he claimed pole at home but a crack in a driveshaft hub caused by his qualifying crash left him unable to start the race the following day.

Hamilton enjoyed a promising day. A three-time Monaco winner, he had not won here since his 2019 victory, and Friday’s form offered hope of another opportunity. Team mate George Russell struggled more. The team had only one example of its new front wing for him to use; he locked his front wheels twice at the Nouvelle Chicane and was then troubled by steering-wheel vibration, reporting that the steering torque felt wrong. He ended the day tenth.

Red Bull’s difficulties continued. Eighth-placed Sergio Pérez said the ride was dreadful and that he could not see the apex at Turn 3. Verstappen’s complaint was even more vivid: “The car is jumping up and down like a kangaroo. It’s giving me a headache.” After a difficult Friday at Emilia-Romagna, the reigning champions were struggling again.

At Alpine, Gasly completed 35 laps to make up for the running he had lost to an exhaust problem in FP1. He finished 17th, 0.196s behind team mate Ocon. The two Saubers occupied the final two places. Bottas and Zhou Guanyu both set their best laps on medium tyres and, like the RB pair and Piastri, did not use softs during this session.

Cloud cover increased over Monte Carlo on Friday afternoon, but practice remained dry and the forecast rain did not arrive. There were no major crashes during the hour, leaving the mechanics waiting in the garages able to look forward to finishing their work that evening with some peace of mind.