Monaco – Free Practice 1: Hamilton breaks lap record!
Lewis Hamilton was keen to show that the Mercedes was at home on the streets of Monaco, setting the fastest time in the first practice session, including a lap record. But Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen are not far behind, which is promising for the rest of the weekend.
The sixth race weekend is underway in the streets of the Principality. Although a slight mist covered La Turbie in the morning, there was no risk of rain for this first free practice session, held at a temperature of 21°C.
Note that Renault has started its 40th anniversary celebrations in F1, with a commemorative photo in the pit lane, attended by Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of the French manufacturer.
The drivers quickly started their control laps. But the Mercedes drivers decided to immediately move on to attack laps. Valtteri Bottas achieved a time of 1:15:111 in the first 10 minutes, which was already faster than the best time set by Lewis Hamilton last year during the same session.
The Silver Arrows weren’t the only ones eager to get down to business quickly: the Red Bulls also showed their strengths, with Daniel Ricciardo able to outperform the Finnish Mercedes driver while Max Verstappen slipped in between the two drivers of the star-branded team.
However, Sebastian Vettel also decided to make a strong impression, with a time of 1:14.289, which could have placed him in 4th position on last year’s grid while we’re still only in the first third of the first free practice session! Victorious in Monaco in 2005, Kimi Räikkönen, for his part, offers a magnificent replay where he kisses the barrier at the Swimming Pool chicane, leaving a small mark without consequence.
After half an hour of the session, the top 10 were Vettel, Ricciardo, Bottas, Sainz, Verstappen, Hamilton, Kvyat, Ocon, Räikkönen, and Massa. Notably, the Mercedes and the Toro Rossos are still on super softs while all the others have already switched to ultra softs.
The drivers of the Faenza team did not stop there, as Daniil Kvyat was able to improve to the point of being classified 2nd while Carlos Sainz climbed back to 4th place. We could also see Sergio Perez’s Pink Panther nose in second position, and the Ferrari-Mercedes battle resumed with vigor when they decided to switch to ultra soft tires.
The result was quick to be felt, with Lewis Hamilton able to post a time of 1:13.945, before being beaten by Valtteri Bottas at 1:13.828. The triple world champion was determined to set things straight on his next run, clocking a time of 1:13.429, nearly four-tenths better than his teammate and eight-tenths better than Sebastian Vettel. Last year’s pole is already a distant memory as the lap by car number 44 is quite simply the fastest in the history of the Monaco circuit!
After an hour of the session, only Nico Hülkenberg and Marcus Ericsson have not yet set a time. The German has a problem with his batteries. As with McLaren a few weeks ago, misunderstanding seems to dominate Nico Hülkenberg’s garage as shown by Renault.
On Nico’s side of the garage, we’re investigating the energy store on his car. #FP1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/LCgKMFcgFc
— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) May 25, 2017
As for the Swede, he has to deal with gearbox problems and will not be able to return. The top 10 are then Hamilton, Vettel, Bottas, Ricciardo, Perez, Massa, Kvyat, Sainz, Ocon, and Magnussen. Jenson Button is still at the bottom of the standings at this moment, but he is also the only one to have used the soft tires, 4.6 seconds off the benchmark time. He is clearly in a phase of readjustment.
Affection for the rail at turn 16 is growing, with Vettel and Pérez following Räikkönen and Button in brushing the metal barrier. On ultra-soft tires, Button returns to the track, driving very cautiously. The first yellow flag appears at turn 1 as Grosjean goes straight on without damage, quickly rejoining the track. A big scare at the Swimming Pool for Daniil Kvyat who climbs too high on the new curb and nearly hits the opposite rail.
Similarly, the gap between Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll is close to a second. But the main point wasn’t there for the young Canadian, who completed a total of 43 laps during the session.
At the end of the session, Max Verstappen managed to get close to the reference time, three-tenths behind while Sebastian Vettel had to settle for second place. Kimi Räikkönen appeared slightly behind, in seventh place, behind the surprising Daniil Kvyat. The performance of the two Toro Rosso is all the more admirable as they remained on super softs throughout the session.
Classically in Monaco, this session ends with a slow lap, serving as a warm-up lap simulation before returning to the grid. A dress rehearsal before the big start, in just over 72 hours…
Note that the top 10 is gathered in exactly one second.
From our special correspondent in Monaco
