Max third in Monaco FP1

Published on 05 June 2026 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen clocked the third fastest lap in the first practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was quickest around the principality with team mate Lewis Hamilton slotting in behind the Monegasque.

When the pitlane opens it is immediately busy with everyone bar Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) taking to the track. All drivers are lapping on the hard Pirelli tyres in the first quarter of the session. Leclerc is the early pace setter with Max in fourth.

Twenty minutes in, several drivers opt for the medium compound, resulting in the lap times dropping before the first red flag of the session is waved; Isack Hadjar loses control of his Oracle Red Bull Racing and ends up in the wall in sector 3. The Frenchman is unharmed but his RB22 needs extensive repairs, marking the end of Max’s team mate’s session.

Once Hadjar’s car has been retrieved and returned to Red Bull, the track is cleared with seventeen minutes remaining. Max heads out on the mediums and sets several quick laps with his 1:14.784 fast enough for third place. Still, it is the Ferraris that set the pace, with local here Leclerc fastest.

With three minutes to go, the session ends prematurely with a second red flag; Fernando Alonso has hit the wall, resulting in his Aston Martin shedding parts on the race track.

Results first free practice Monaco: