2026 F1 Round 6, Monaco Grand Prix FP1: Leclerc leads at home as Ferrari secure a one-two

On the evening of June 5, China Standard Time (UTC+8), the 2026 F1 Monaco Grand Prix, the sixth round of the season, got underway at the Monte Carlo street circuit. In the opening practice session, home favourite Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) topped the times with a 1:13.978, followed by teammate Lewis Hamilton, 0.226 seconds behind, as Ferrari secured a one-two.

Leclerc, who had just agreed a contract extension with Ferrari before the weekend began, made the smoothest possible start to his home event. Rival teams had already identified Ferrari as favourites for victory ahead of the event, and this result certainly backed up that assessment.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull) complained repeatedly about his car’s handling but still ended the session third, 0.513 seconds behind Leclerc. Constructors’ championship leaders Mercedes were 0.6 seconds off the pace.

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), in fine form after four consecutive wins, placed fourth. George Russell was 0.446 seconds slower than his teammate and could manage only fifth.

McLaren, like Ferrari, had been expected to shine around the ultra-slow Monte Carlo circuit, but delivered an unremarkable session: Lando Norris was sixth, while Oscar Piastri was only eighth.

McLaren brought several upgrades to Monaco, including an engine cover, front suspension, beam wing and rear wing. According to F1’s official upgrade list, the front suspension addresses the circuit’s steering demands, the larger engine cover increases cooling capacity, and the wing changes improve airflow. Red Bull enlarged cooling openings for the brakes, power unit and gearbox, adjusted front-end components for greater steering clearance and added rear-wing extensions. Ferrari updated its front suspension for a greater steering angle, while small devices on the floor and diffuser increase aerodynamic load.

The weekend’s first crash involved Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar: with 25 minutes remaining, he lost control in the Swimming Pool section (Turns 13–16) and hit the barriers.

The front of the car was badly damaged, but fortunately Hadjar was unharmed and returned to the team garage while marshals cleared the damaged car. According to F1’s official report, he reported that he was okay before returning to the garage.

Aston Martin-Honda endured a difficult session, with Fernando Alonso finishing 20th. He hit the barriers on the approach to the Nouvelle Chicane (Turns 10–11), losing a front-wing endplate and bringing out the session’s second red flag.

According to Jon Noble’s June 4 report for The Race, Alonso warned that a recurrence of the downshift problems experienced in Miami could cause a crash at a braking point in Monaco and might leave the team unable to race. Lance Stroll finished last, 0.878 seconds behind his teammate.

Audi showed strong pace, setting the midfield benchmark: Nico Hülkenberg ended the session seventh, with Gabriel Bortoleto ninth. The final place in the top ten went to Pierre Gasly (Alpine), who finished 0.161 seconds ahead of 11th-placed Albon, with the other Williams driver, Sainz, in 12th.

There was tension between the Haas teammates as well. According to F1’s official report, Esteban Ocon felt Oliver Bearman had backed up too much, while Bearman also complained about Ocon’s actions. The pair voiced their frustrations while seeking clear track, with Bearman eventually finishing 16th and Ocon 17th.

At Cadillac, Sergio Pérez finished practice in 14th, around 0.3 seconds behind tenth-placed Gasly. F1’s official report records that Pérez led the field out for the initial laps, when all cars were running hard tyres; he completed 28 laps in total.

FP2 is scheduled to take place at the same circuit at 23:00 on June 5, China Standard Time (UTC+8).