By Peter Habicht
Carlos Sainz took fastest lap for Ferrari under clear skies on the streets of Monaco for the opening practice session with a fastest time of 1:13.372s, ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes has brought several upgrades to their cars this weekend featuring new bodywork and front suspension marking a departure from previous design directions. While Hamilton was able to get up to speed quickly, teammate George Russell needed changes to his suspension and struggled to find good balance between his car’s front and rear.
Drivers’ Championship leader Max Verstappen was sixth fastest in his Red Bull behind teammate Sergo Perez in fourth and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fifth. As drivers pushed to find the limit on an evolving track surface, several cars came close to wall contact, with Nico Hulkenberg bringing out a red flag after his Haas hit the wall at the Nouvelle Chicane.
A second red flag ended the session with less than four minutes left as Alex Albon’s Williams hit the wall at Sainte Devote after losing the rear of his car mid corner while running in tenth. American teammate and rookie Logan Sargeant finished the session in 18th. Track evolution has been a factor on the city streets with drivers expected to set times in the 1:12s as softer compounds are fitted in the second session later today, starting at 5p local time.
