First part of free practice
Sunny. Dry. Air +26C, highway +47C
At the beginning of the European part of the season, the teams prepared a lot of new products, but it was only after the cancellation of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix due to floods that it started in Monaco, where working with new products is completely inconvenient . However, many of them attracted them and devoted the first training session to gathering information to gain some experience in Barcelona next week.
Notably, a seriously updated car was brought to Mercedes – with much larger side pontoons and seriously redesigned aerodynamics. But other teams also took the opportunity to work with new products in the hope of getting more downforce, which is so important in Monaco.
After the sessions of support races, the track was already in good shape in the first session, and the recently laid new asphalt warmed up to almost 50 degrees under a cloudless sky.
Racers gradually increased speed, but not without problems. Verstappen complained of clutch problems and poor handling, Russell of clutch settings – both returned to the pits and handed the cars over to the mechanics.
Traffic was a huge nuisance, though the riders tried to let those on a fast lap pass. Sainz hit the barrier without visible consequences in turn 15, Stroll in the last, Bottasu showed his reaction in the Rascasse and avoided a collision with Perez.
Halfway through the session Sargent’s car’s power plant lost power, the car braked severely in the tunnel – it slowly returned to the pits and then took off again.
In the 36th minute, Hulkenberg returned to the pits with a left rear tire that had been dismounted after contact with the barrier in the chicane and a corner – and the session was interrupted by red flags for five minutes to clear the debris.
The second time red flags appeared in the final minutes after Elbon’s crash at St. Devote. The blow was hard, the driver was not injured, but the Williams mechanics will have to work. The session was decided not to take place.
The fastest time was set by Carlos Sainz with a lap time of 1:13.372.
Results of the first session
| Pilot | Team | Time | Difference | Circles |
| 1.K Sainz | Ferrari | 1:13,372 | – | 26 |
| 2. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:13,710 | +0.338 | 28 |
| 3. L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:14.035 | +0.663 | 27 |
| 4. C. Perez | Red Bull | 1:14.038 | +0.666 | 27 |
| 5. Sch.Lecler | Ferrari | 1:14.093 | +0.721 | 24 |
| 6. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:14,244 | +0.872 | 26 |
| 7. L. Norris | McLaren | 1:14,467 | +1,095 | 25 |
| 8. E. Okon | Alps | 1:14,585 | +1,213 | 29 |
| 9. L. Walk | Aston Martin | 1:14,653 | +1,281 | 28 |
| 10. A. Albon | Willems | 1:14,666 | +1,294 | 32 |
| 11. V. Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:14,718 | +1,346 | 29 |
| 12. K. Magnussen | hare | 1:14,725 | +1,353 | 29 |
| 13. Y. Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:14,820 | +1,448 | 29 |
| 14.P Gasly | Alps | 1:14,866 | +1,494 | thirty |
| 15.D Russell | Mercedes | 1:15.066 | +1,694 | 24 |
| 16.N. deVries | AlphaTauri | 1:15.083 | +1,711 | 33 |
| 17. O. Piastri | McLaren | 1:15.192 | +1,820 | 32 |
| 18. L. Sargent | Willems | 1:15,557 | +2,185 | thirty |
| 19.G Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 1:15,684 | +2.312 | 25 |
| 20. N. Hulkenberg | hare | 1:15,785 | +2,413 | 17 |
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
