Formula 1: 2nd free practice session in Monaco: Verstappen soon

The start of the Monaco Grand Prix raised some hopes of sorts in Formula 1 – but in the end Max Verstappen was just ahead. The world champion at Red Bull had the best time of the day in free practice, but at 1:12.462 he was just a hair’s breadth ahead of Charles Leclerc in Ferrari.

The two were separated by 65 thousandths of a second, and Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari was only tenth behind Verstappen in third. Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin (+0.220) was fourth. However, the Spaniard had to abandon the fast game that could have given him a better time.

The weekend did not start very promisingly for Nico Hülkenberg and his Haas racing team. After a crash in the first practice session, the German finished Friday one second behind the leaders in 15th place, with team-mate Kevin Magnussen only slightly faster.

Will Red Bull remain undefeated?

At the top, Verstappen’s competition hopes to end Red Bull’s streak in the sixth race of the season on Sunday (3pm): So far, world championship leader and team-mate Sergio Perez have won every race, but that should. changes to the road cycle. Ferrari and Aston Martin work well in the slow corners, Red Bull is also denied a speed advantage on the long line in Monaco.

Friday showed that Red Bull can also be expected in Monaco – however, the lead is small, with Ferrari, Alonso was also within striking distance before the important qualifying session on Saturday (4:00 pm). Red Bull also struggled at times with the vote, Perez was only seventh.

Meanwhile, Mercedes used its redesigned car for the first time. The new cues are obvious, and the former world series champions have also revised the lower part and front wheel suspension. It was enough for Lewis Hamilton to finish sixth, while his teammate George Russell was only twelfth.