Lewis Hamilton led the first practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix, with Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu causing a red flag when he collided with the wall and spread debris. Zhou lost control of his car at the first corner, causing damage to his front wing and spreading debris across the track. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was next to pass and suffered minimal damage to his floor after running over a piece of the Sauber car. The session resumed with Hamilton still in the lead, closely followed by McLaren driver Oscar Piastri.
Mercedes had a strong start to the weekend, with George Russell setting the third fastest time, just behind Hamilton and Piastri. The team brought specific updates for the Monaco circuit, including a modified rear wing, floor, and front wing. McLaren was expected to be a strong contender, with Lando Norris setting the fourth fastest time. Leclerc, despite his earlier incident, managed to return to the track and set the fifth fastest time without using the soft tires. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, finished in 10th place.
However, Red Bull faced difficulties during the session. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had issues and failed to make it into the top 10. Verstappen complained that the car was unstable and loose over the track’s imperfections, while Perez had traction problems and even punctured a tire. Aston Martin had a better session, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. Both drivers set their times on soft tires. Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo also made it into the top 10.
Los pilotos de Sauber, Haas y Williams ocuparon la mitad inferior de la clasificación, con Valtteri Bottas liderando ese grupo. Esteban Ocon, quien logró un podio en Mónaco el año pasado, tuvo un comienzo lento este año, terminando en el puesto 18. Se quejó de que el frente del auto estaba rebotando en las curvas. Su compañero de equipo, Pierre Gasly, tuvo una sesión aún más desafiante, enfrentando problemas en la unidad de potencia y terminando al final de la tabla de tiempos.
