Charles Leclerc continued to set the pace at the Monaco Grand Prix, making it a Friday clean sweep by topping FP1 and FP2.

Oscar Piastri was able to drag his McLaren out of the barriers to split the Ferraris in P2, with Lewis Hamilton completing an ultra-tight top three covered by just one tenth.

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After an opening taste of this iconic, high-adrenaline Monaco Circuit, the drivers had another hour of practice ahead to continue building confidence ahead of the all-important qualifying day.

And there was precious little time to wait before the opening push laps were delivered, Verstappen getting the best of those early exchanges as his 1:12.922 put him a tenth and a half clear of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, though Verstappen was reporting the “same problem” with “upshifts”.

The “quality” of the “tearoffs” on his visor was also not to the liking of the reigning four-time World Champion.

But, with less than seven minutes gone in FP2, the red flags were out to neutralise the session. Isack Hadjar had whacked the inside wall with his Racing Bulls car coming into the Nouvelle chicane, the anger visible in the cockpit for the Frenchman as he limped back to the pit lane.

The fact that he could get back to the Racing Bulls garage meant that it was a short red flag period, with the yellows soon taking over, but a lull in track action regardless allowed marshals the time and freedom to clear up any debris.

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Like the red flag, said lull was brief as the times began to tumble once more, Leclerc taking over out front on a 1:12.1.

But then came the next red flag, as Piastri found the tyre barrier at Sainte Devote. He would find reverse and excavate his McLaren to begin a slow lap back to the pit lane minus a front wing.

Moments before that crash, Verstappen had found himself furious with a “dangerous” and “unacceptable” – as he termed it – Gabriel Bortoleto in the Sauber through the Swimming Pool section.

With the action soon back underway, Hamilton had hit the front by the halfway point, clocking an 1:12.025 on the mediums, while the FIA stewards called Haas’ Oliver Bearman to their office post-session over a potential red flag infringement.

Now though it was time for the C6 soft tyres to come out to play.

Leclerc delivered a rapid 1:11.4 to lay down the gauntlet, while Hamilton backed out of his attempt in the first sector.

Leclerc went again and found another six hundredths.

Not that he needed any extra buffer with Leclerc well clear out front, his closest challenger Norris half a second back, while Verstappen was eight-tenths off Leclerc’s pace.

But, with a new front wing bolted onto his McLaren, could Piastri trouble Leclerc? Verstappen took another shot at it, but unlocked one further tenth only.

Norris likewise improved, but still had three tenths to find on Leclerc who was shining on home soil at the wheel of his Ferrari.

Into the final quarter of FP2 though and the pack was moving closer to Leclerc, as Piastri muscled his way ahead of Norris, and Hamilton narrowed his team-mate’s lead to just one tenth.

“I am so stupid” – that was the brutal self-assessment soon coming from Hadjar, who had again hit the wall. This time, the back end had stepped out at Sainte Devote, causing Hadjar to hit and damage the rear left against the wall.

Piastri was staying out of trouble after his earlier dramas as he improved to P2, Leclerc’s lead now down to three hundredths, while Verstappen was struggling to find reverse in the Mirabeau escape road. he got there in the end.

FP2 reached its conclusion with Leclerc in P1 from Piastri and Hamilton, a tenth covering that top trio.

Full 2025 Monaco Grand Prix FP2 timesheet

1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:11.355
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.038
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.105
4 Lando Norris McLaren +0.322
5 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +0.468
6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +0.487
7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.535
8 Alexander Albon Williams +0.563
9 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.647
10 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.713
11 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing +0.717
12 George Russell Mercedes +0.737
13 Carlos Sainz Williams +0.796
14 Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber +0.879
15 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team +0.904
16 Nico Hulkenberg Kick Sauber +0.907
17 Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.049
18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.157
19 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team +1.186
20 Franco Colapinto Alpine +2.060

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