Ferrari have emerged as a surprise threat to McLaren and Red Bull at the F1 Monaco Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc finding pace in their car on the Principality’s streets.
The home hero was not expecting a happy return to the Monaco GP after Leclerc secured an emotional win from pole position in 2024. But Ferrari have sprung a surprise, with the SF-25 proving capable of potentially fighting McLaren and Red Bull for their first win of the season.
Leclerc’s P3 finish in the Saudi Arabian GP remains the only Grand Prix podium finish Ferrari have earned so far in the 2025 F1 season. Expectations for a result in Monte Carlo were also slim as Ferrari’s 2025 F1 car struggles in slow-speed corners, but it has been fast in Monaco.
Nick Heidfeld slams Lance Stroll’s ‘stupid’ excuse for his Monaco GP FP1 crash with Charles Leclerc
Leclerc posted the fastest lap times during the first and second free practice sessions for the Monaco GP on Friday, with the Ferrari racer lowering his 1:11.964 lap time in FP1 down to a 1:11.355 in FP2. Yet his day even started with a crash with Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll.
The stewards have given the Canadian a one-place grid penalty as Stroll’s lack of awareness saw Leclerc crash into him in FP1 in Monaco. Stroll slowly moved onto the racing line at the hairpin as the Monegasque was approaching, giving Leclerc no chance to avoid the collision.
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Gary Gannon, Stroll’s race engineer, told the 26-year-old Leclerc was close. Yet the Montreal native said he did not hear the radio message after the crash, which saw Stroll miss the rest of FP1 due to rear suspension and gearbox damage. Leclerc had to pit for a new front wing.
But Nick Heidfeld does not buy Stroll’s excuse that he could not avoid a crash with Leclerc in FP1 for the Monaco GP as he did not hear Gannon’s radio message. The former Williams F1 driver claims it is a poor explanation as you must always be aware of traffic in Monte Carlo.
“Stroll didn’t see him because Leclerc was just coming around the corner,” Heidfeld told Sky Germany. “But that’s stupid, because he knows there’s a lot of traffic in Monaco and there are cars behind him.”
Lance Stroll gets a one-place grid penalty for his Monaco GP FP1 crash with Charles Leclerc
Stroll’s FP1 incident with Leclerc put the Canadian on the back foot at the Monaco GP whilst Fernando Alonso showed Aston Martin had some potential in the first practice session. The 43-year-old set the 10th-best lap time in FP1 and improved to P7 in FP2, as Stroll came P18.
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Aston Martin pay Stroll £2.5m-a-year on a contract through at least the 2026 F1 season. The Silverstone squad will now have to dig further into their pockets after his crash with Leclerc, as well, as Stroll’s FP1 incident at the Monaco GP dealt a lot of damage to his Aston Martin.
CEO and team principal Andy Cowell confirmed after the session that Aston Martin had to replace Stroll’s rear wishbone and floor, as well as his gearbox. Stroll also merited a penalty point on his FIA Superlicence, which takes him to three through the past 12-month period.
