During the third free practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc once again takes the lead. The Ferrari driver sets the fastest time on the narrow street circuit, followed by Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull seems to have yesterday’s problems reasonably under control and has made a significant step forward, as Sergio Pérez finishes the session in fifth place.
The final practice before the year’s qualifying begins calmly until Valtteri Bottas makes a mistake coming out of the last chicane after the pool and hits the wall. It seems like a light touch, but the impact is hard enough to break off his right wheel. The Finn cannot continue his journey, and the marshals wave the red flag.
As soon as the damaged Stake F1 car is removed from the circuit, the session resumes. Almost all drivers go out on the soft tire and push the limit. Kevin Magnussen shoots straight ahead, and shortly after, so does Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers can continue their journey unscathed.
The difficulty of setting a flying lap is evident on board with Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver arrives at full speed but has to slalom around his colleagues at the harbor. “My God,” he calls over the radio. It shows all the more that Q1 will be crucial in this afternoon’s qualifying. Because the field is so close together, losing a few tenths because you have to hold back due to traffic could be enough not to proceed to Q2.
With twenty minutes left on the clock, it’s time for the dress rehearsal. The track is getting faster, and the lap times are going down. Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Oscar Piastri show that it promises to be an exciting qualification. But no one flies over the track as fast as Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque shows that he has one goal in mind today: pole position in his home race.
