Lewis Hamilton made his intentions clear on the streets of Monte Carlo on Friday by leading Free Practice 2 at the Monaco Grand Prix, Yankee Scores reports.
Hamilton Takes Command
Hamilton recorded a time of 1m 13.026s, putting him ahead of a Ferrari one-two, finishing 0.111s in front of teammate Charles Leclerc.
This session highlighted how well the SF-26 performs on Monaco’s slow, technical corners, one of the most difficult circuits in Formula 1
This was the first time Hamilton topped an FP2 session since the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Leclerc, who had set the fastest time in FP1 earlier in the day, stayed sharp on his home track but couldn’t keep up with his teammate when they switched to soft tyres.
Friday is red in Monaco! ❤️
Lewis Hamilton sets the FP2 pace from Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen 😮💨#F1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/B24ZbhxVli
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 5, 2026
Verstappen Lurks, Mercedes Solid
Max Verstappen placed third for Red Bull, just 0.168s behind Hamilton. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli rounded out the top five for Mercedes.
The Silver Arrows are quietly in contention, and with qualifying on Saturday, no one is counting them out just yet.
Norris Nightmare
The session’s biggest story was Lando Norris. Just 15 minutes in, his MCL40 lost power at the Nouvelle Chicane, causing a Virtual Safety Car.
Norris ended up in 19th place after a suspected technical issue forced him to spend most of the session in the garage, completing only eight laps.
His teammate, Oscar Piastri, continued driving but finished well off the pace in seventh.
Red Flag Chaos
Sergio Perez ended the session early when smoke was seen coming from his Cadillac. He had to stop near Casino Square because his front-right brakes caught fire.
Drivers and teams will regroup before returning for Qualifying on Saturday. Ferrari looks like the team to beat, but Monaco often changes the game unexpectedly.
