Monaco-Charles Leclerc, driving for Ferrari, set the pace on the opening day of practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, topping both free practice sessions. The Monegasque driver, a local favorite and defending champion at this circuit, posted a fastest lap of 1 minute, 11.964 seconds in the first session and improved to 1:11.355 in the second.

Ferrari’s strong showing suggests they are a force to be reckoned with this weekend. Lewis Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, was third fastest in the second session with a time of 1:11.460. McLaren also demonstrated competitive pace, with Oscar Piastri finishing second, just 0.038 seconds behind Leclerc, and Lando Norris securing fourth place with a time of 1:11.677.

Tyre Tactics Take Center Stage

Pirelli, the official tyre supplier, noted that teams explored various tyre strategies throughout the day’s 120 minutes of practice. The soft compound tyre saw the most use, completing 574 laps, followed by the medium (427 laps) and hard (221 laps) compounds. Pirelli’s chief engineer, Simone Berra, highlighted the importance of understanding the C6 compound’s performance after its debut in Imola.

Quite a busy day with lots of laps and plenty of data gathered. It was vital for us to see how the C6 performed after it made its debut in Imola and we can say that, here too, the indications we saw last week were also confirmed today. The softest tyre in the 2025 range is slightly faster than the C5 and, with one or two cool-down laps, recovers much of its performance.
Simone Berra, Pirelli Chief Engineer

Berra also pointed out that the characteristics of the C6 tyre might influence qualifying strategies.

It was also clear that,given that it exhibits the traits of an extremely soft compound,the drivers might feel a little less confident with it when trying to push for a time right from the first flying lap. This could possibly open the door to the Medium also being used in one or more segments of qualifying.
Simone Berra, Pirelli Chief Engineer

The special sporting regulations in place for this weekend, mandating two tyre changes during the race, further complicate tyre choices. Thirteen drivers from seven teams have already used a set of hard tyres, leaving them with only one set available for Sunday’s race. Five drivers-Piastri, Norris, Hamilton, Hadjar, and Lawson-each used a set of medium tyres in both practice sessions.

Track evolution is a important factor in monaco, with lap times generally improving as the track rubbers in. Though, Leclerc’s fastest time this year (1:11.355) was slightly slower than his fastest time in the same session last year (1:11.278).

As is often the case in Monaco,the lap times came down bit by bit with every passing lap,partly becuase the track is rubbering-in,with a new surface from turn 12 to 3,but mainly because the drivers grow in confidence. Though, the times have been slightly slower than in the same session last year, when once again Leclerc was fastest, in 1’11″278.
Simone Berra,Pirelli Chief Engineer

Pirelli also observed some graining on the medium tyres during long runs,a common occurrence at this track under these conditions.

From a tyre wear perspective, we saw some graining on the Mediums at the end of the long runs, something which is totally predictable at this track and in these conditions.
Simone Berra, Pirelli Chief engineer

Formula 2: Dunne Edges Out Martins in Qualifying

Alexander Dunne of Rodin Motorsport secured pole position for the Formula 2 race, narrowly beating victor Martins of ART Grand Prix by just 0.003 seconds.Dunne’s time was 1:21.142, while Martins clocked in at 1:21.145. Due to the track’s limitations, F2 qualifying is split into two groups.

The soft and supersoft compounds are the tyres of choice for F2 in Monaco. Qualifying is particularly crucial on this circuit, where overtaking is notoriously difficult.

Last year’s feature race saw most drivers start on the soft tyre, aiming for a long first stint before switching to the supersoft. Careful management of the soft compound was essential to avoid graining in the early laps. The potential for safety car periods adds another layer of complexity to race strategy, as Zak O’sullivan demonstrated last year by pitting on the penultimate lap during a virtual safety car period.

formula 3: Tsolov Claims pole Position

Nikola Tsolov of Bulgaria, driving for Campos Racing, will start on pole position for the Formula 3 race. He set a best time of 1:24.882 in the first qualifying group, ahead of his teammate Mari Boya of Spain. Roman Bilinski of Poland (Rodin Motorsport) was fastest in the second group with a time of 1:25.332, placing him third overall.

The soft compound is used for F3 in monaco. Degradation is generally moderate due to the circuit’s low average speed and minimal forces exerted on the tyres. Last year, graining became noticeable after about eight laps, affecting both front and rear axles, but remained manageable.

While overtaking is slightly easier in F3 compared to F1 and F2 due to the smaller size of the cars, qualifying remains a critical factor for success.