Formula 1 training: Ferrari surprised: Leclerc at home game just before Piatri

Last year’s winner Charles Leclerc surprised at the start of Monaco’s Grand Prize after an accident with the best training time. On the streets of his birthplace, the Ferrari driver made it 1: 11.355 minutes in front of the World Cup leader Oscar Piatri. The Australian was only 0.038 seconds behind in his McLaren. Third was record world champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari.

While world champion Max Verstappen was only tenth five days after his victory in Imola in the Red Bull, the German Nico Hülkenberg headed the kick clean to the 16th place in his adopted home.

The 27-year-old Leclerc goes to the pole position in qualifying on Saturday (4:00 p.m./Sky) as a favorite. Three times, he made it to the first place in the past in his home game, which is particularly worth a lot in Monaco. Due to the narrow and winding route, overtaking in the Grand Prix is ​​almost not possible.

Several training interruptions

After seven minutes, the French racing bulls pilot Isack Hadjar struck the rear in the route limitation and the second session of the day also had to be interrupted. Already at the start of training, after a collision by Leclerc and Aston-Martin driver Lance Stroll, there was a forced break because the route was cleaned. Stroll received a starting place penalty for the crash he caused and has to go from one position further back into the Grand Prix.

Piatri destroyed his front wing shortly afterwards because he drove into the guardrail. The Australian returned to the McLaren box to have the damage examined. Then he returned.

Before the eighth of 24 World Cup runs on Sunday, Piatri leads in the overall World Cup with a 13-point lead over teammate Lando Norris. Verstappen is third with 22 points behind Piatri. The Dutch won on the Côte d’Azur in 2021 and 2023.