Local hero Charles Leclerc once again used his home advantage in the opening training for the Formula 1 race in Monaco. The Monegasque native drove the fastest lap in the first practice session of the day, while his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton came second, 0.226 seconds behind. The Scuderia thus confirmed its role as favorite for the Grand Prix on the streets of Monte-Carlo.
Red Bull superstar Max Verstappen took third place. World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli drove his Mercedes to fourth place, directly ahead of his current closest title rival George Russell in the second Silver Arrow.
Mercedes is still unbeaten this year
World champion Lando Norris, winner in Monaco last year, had to settle for sixth place in the McLaren. Nico Hülkenberg returned to the garage in his adopted hometown in seventh place in the Audi and nurtured his hopes of his first championship points this year.
In the overall World Cup standings, Antonelli leads the sixth round of the season on Sunday (3 p.m./RTL and Sky) with a 43-point lead over his team-mate Russell. The 19-year-old Italian Antonelli has recently won four races in a row, Mercedes is still unbeaten in the Grand Prix this season.