Charles Leclerc fastest in Monaco Grand Prix FP1 as Isack Hadjar crash wrecks his Red Bull

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Charles Leclerc topped the timing sheets for the first practice of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend after Isack Hadjar found himself in the barriers towards the end of the session.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli arrived for Round 6 as the championship leader after claiming his fourth consecutive victory of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver now holds a 43-point advantage over teammate George Russell at the top of the standings.

Charles Leclerc was the first driver to have an off-track moment, locking up and skating through the Mirabeau run-off area on his opening warm-up lap before reaching the hairpin.

Elsewhere, both Racing Bulls drivers complained of steering issues in the opening stages of the session, with the tight hairpin proving particularly troublesome.

Traffic was also an inevitable talking point early on, particularly with an additional team on the grid this season increasing the number of cars circulating around the narrow street circuit.

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The first notable complaints came from Haas, with both drivers expressing frustration over team radio. Esteban Ocon felt he was being held up by Oliver Bearman, while the Briton questioned why his teammate was following so closely behind.

Isack Hadjar also voiced his concerns, telling his team: “Man, it is undrivable going up the hill, the bouncing is crazy.” His Red Bull teammate, Max Verstappen looked quickly comfortable in his car over the weekend, finding himself in P4, but Hadjar was struggling down in P8.

A brief yellow flag was triggered just before the halfway mark of the session when Lewis Hamilton locked up at Sainte Devote. However, the Ferrari driver reacted quickly, rotating the car and rejoining the circuit without sustaining any damage.

Moments later, teammate Charles Leclerc brushed the barriers at the Swimming Pool chicane. While the incident left some debris on the track and prompted a brief Virtual Safety Car period, the Monegasque escaped without any significant damage.

At the halfway stage of the session, Leclerc led the timesheets ahead of Hamilton before championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli surged to the top by four tenths of a second.

The session was then red-flagged when Isack Hadjar crashed at the Swimming Pool chicane. The Frenchman clipped the barrier in a similar manner to Leclerc’s earlier incident before losing the rear of the car, which pitched him nose-first into the barriers.

As the cars headed out for the final 15 minutes of the session, Max Verstappen was quick to voice his frustrations over team radio. The Dutchman reported that the car’s “release” needed attention, although it was initially unclear which aspect of the setup he was referring to.

The closing stages proved messy, with several drivers brushing the barriers around the circuit. Fernando Alonso then brought out a yellow flag after clipping the wall on the approach to the Nouvelle Chicane, leaving a sizeable piece of debris from his Aston Martin on the track.

Replays showed the Spaniard lost the rear of the car on the exit of the tunnel before sliding into the barriers on the right-hand side. The impact ripped a large section of his front wing from the car, scattering debris across the circuit.

Leclerc ended the session on top, finishing ahead of Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, with Verstappen splitting the Prancing Horses from the Mercedes drivers.