Monaco Grand Prix: Max Verstappen fastest in second practice as Carlos Sainz crashes

Max Verstappen finished fastest in practice for the Monaco Grand Prix as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz crashed out. Verstappen edged out home favourite Charles Leclerc by just 0.065 seconds with his Ferrari team-mate Sainz third. Fernando Alonso finished fourth for Aston Martin ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.

As Verstappen raced to the top of the charts, Sainz's running ended with 17 minutes remaining. The Spaniard, who was earlier quickest in the first session, clipped the entry barrier into the swimming pool chicane, damaging his right-front suspension, before heading straight into the tyre wall on the opposite side of the track.

"I crashed," said the Spaniard. "I'm sorry." The session was suspended for six minutes as Sainz's wounded Ferrari was removed from the circuit.

After giving up on this season's car on the eve of the opening race, Mercedes have arrived for the sixth round in the sun-cooked principality with a new concept.

The Silver Arrows have abandoned their controversial zero-sidepod design and introduced a new front suspension, new floor and cooling system in a change of development on a car which has contributed to the longest losing streak of Hamilton's career.

On Sunday, it will be 539 days since Hamilton last stood on the top step of the podium at the penultimate round of the contentious 2021 season in Saudi Arabia. However, on the evidence of practice, the seven-time world champion appears no closer to the front.

Hamilton ended the opening running in third place, but he had dropped to sixth by the conclusion of the day, half-a-second back. George Russell was a disappointing 12th in the other Mercedes, seven tenths adrift

Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez are the only men to have won a race this year and their rapid Red Bull is not necessarily suited to the narrow and slow-speed confines of the unique Monte Carlo configuration. But, despite Perez managing only seventh in practice, Verstappen's pace on Friday suggests he might yet be the driver to beat for the remainder of the weekend.

In first practice, the red flags were deployed in the closing minutes when Alex Albon lost control of his Williams through the opening Sainte Devote corner. The London-born Thai slammed into the wall, but, despite admitting to banging his knees, he emerged relatively unscathed from the 100mph accident.

The same could however not be said for Albon's Williams following significant damage to the left-hand side of his machine. He returned to the track with 11 minutes of second practice remaining following a three-hour repair job by his team.

PA Sport

Monaco Grand Prix, Friday practice: as it happened

05:26 PM

Qualifying begins at 3pm tomorrow

So I will be back for that from around 2pm. It is looking like it might be a good one.

05:04 PM

FP2 - Classification

1. VER 1:12.462

2. LEC +0.065

3. SAI +0.107

4. ALO +0.220

5. NOR +0.444

6. HAM +0.498

7. PER +0.529

8. BOT +0.588

9. GAS +0.627

10. OCO +0.700

11. STR +0.723

12. RUS +0.729

13. ZHO +0.892

14. MAG +0.995

15. HUL +1.058

16. TSU +1.179

17. DEV +1.201

18. PIA +1.211

19. ALB +1.755

20. SAR +1.776

Albon does move up off the bottom in the end, just 0.021s faster than his team-mate.

05:02 PM

FP2 ends - Verstappen ahead of Leclerc by 0.065s

Carlos Sainz, who crashed and brought out a red flag, is third 0.107s off the fastest time.

05:01 PM

FP2 - That is a standout time from Lando Norris

The McLaren driver is in fifth, 0.444s off Verstappen, faster than Hamitlon, Perez and Stroll. He has been fairly evenly matched with Piastri over one lap this year but he's 0.8s ahead of him. Always a difficult circuit for rookies, thus one. Takes time. Albon has not improved his position from 20th but has improved his lap time. 2.053s off Verstappen.

04:55 PM

FP2 - Into the final five minutes

The times are unlikely to change from now on, although Albon is beginning a hot lap on the soft tyres so will probably make some progress from 20th.

04:53 PM

FP2 - Russell outside of the top 10 again

It didn't work for him in the earlier session and it's not working for him now. Not totally sure of his exact circumstances in this session but he's a couple of tenths or so away from Lewis Hamilton.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris is told to abort his run and come back into the garage which he does.

04:51 PM

Watch: Sainz crashes into the barriers

04:50 PM

FP2 - Albon makes it out

He will get about 11 minutes of running if there are no further stoppages. Imagine they will have just fuelled him for that.

04:50 PM

FP2 - Session resumes

Here's the top 10 and gaps as they get going again.

1. VER 1:12.462

2. LEC +0.065

3. SAI +0.107

4. ALO +0.220

5. NOR +0.444

6. HAM +0.498

7. PER +0.529

8. BOT +0.588

9. GAS +0.627

10. OCO +0.700

04:45 PM

FP2 - Yep, Sainz thwacks the barrier with his front-right

It breaks and he can't turn into the corner and careers into the barriers, bringing the session to a halt.

04:44 PM

FP2 - Tsunoda punctures his front left on the barrier at the Nouvelle Chicane

But now there's a red flag because Carlos Sainz is in the wall at the Swimming Pool chicane. 

Not a huge crash and has probably clipped the barrier on entry and put him off line and sliding into the barriers. Might have broken his front-right on initial impact or maybe on secondary impact.

04:43 PM

FP2 - Verstappen goes fastest again

It's a 1:12.462, dislodging Sainz. Sainz's team-mate then dislodges him from second, going 0.065s to go just behind Verstappen.

Alonso in fourth 0.220s off Verstappen.

04:42 PM

Still not sure about this McLaren livery

04:38 PM

FP2 - Order after those soft-tyre runs

1. SAI 1:12.569

2. ALO +0.113

3. VER +0.168

4. LEC +0.326

5. NOR +0.337

6. PER +0.422

7. HAM +0.430

8. BOT +0.481

9. GAS +0.520

10. OCO +0.593

11. STR +0.616

12. RUS +0.622

13. MAG +0.888

14. HUL +0.951

15. ZHO +0.971

16. TSU +1.072

17. DEV +1.094

18. PIA +1.104

19. SAR +1.669

20. ALB (NO TIME)

04:35 PM

FP2 - Verstappen only third

0.168s slower than Sainz. Wonder if that correction in the middle sector cost him that much?

Perez, his team-mate, then moves fifth, 0.422s off Sainz's time.

Hmmm. I can't imagine that Red Bull are sandbagging that much. Still some work to do, but Verstappen isn't too far off.

04:34 PM

FP2 - Verstappen with the fastest first sector time

A bit of adjustment coming into the tunnel... he's lost time in the middle sector, 0.089s slower than Sainz was at the same point.

Where will he finish? It looks a committed lap.

04:33 PM

FP2 - Leclerc a fair way off Sainz's time

Nearly four-tenths off his team-mate and slower than Alonso. Hmmm. Curious. Gasly has popped up into fifth ahead of his Alpine team-mate and ahead of both Mercedes cars.

No sign of Alexander Albon yet, though.

04:32 PM

FP2 - Sainz moves fastest

He ends his lap 0.217s faster than compatriot Alonso. Tidy lap. What can Leclerc do? He's currently 13th and is about to begin his first hot lap on the soft tyres.

04:30 PM

FP2 - Alonso improves in the middle sector

But cannot improve his overall time.

Esteban Ocon has moved up into second. We await the Red Bull drivers' runs on the soft tyres, as well as the Ferrari drivers.

Mercedes men are third and fourth after their first qualifying simulation runs, a few tenths at least off Alonso.

04:26 PM

FP2 - Alonso purple in the first two sectors...

...and indeed the final sector to go fastest, but 0.526s faster than Verstappen, but on a step softer tyres.

Lance Stroll goes into third, 0.856s off his team-mate. Curious. Not sure how representative that is from either man. Might have expected a greater improvement from the Spaniard.

04:22 PM

FP2 - It's soft-tyre run time

Both Aston Martins bolt on the qualifying tyre. Let's see where that puts them.

04:21 PM

FP2 - Verstappen improves

He goes around three tenths faster than his previous best and is now 0.241s ahead of Sainz and 0.305s ahead of Alonso in third.

Russell has found his way into the top five after struggling in FP1.

04:15 PM

FP2 - Top 10 and gaps after 15 mins

1. VER 1:13.857

2. ALO +0.015

3. SAI +0.096

4. HAM +0.127

5. OCO +0.167

6. GAS +0.330

7. STR +0.351

8. PER +0.404

9. TSU +0.406

10. LEC +0.560

Sainz lap was on the hard tyres, so that is pretty impressive.

04:14 PM

FP2 - Alonso nearly sneaks into first

But misses out by 0.015s as Carlos Sainz goes third, within a tenth of Verstappen.

04:13 PM

FP2 - Verstappen moves back up to first

0.127s faster than Hamilton, now.

04:11 PM

FP2 - Hamilton dislodges Verstappen at the top

By 0.001s... both on the medium tyres. Leclerc gets right in team-mate Sainz's way towards the end of the lap. Clumsy.

04:08 PM

FP2 - Perez not happy

A couple of cars get in the way of the Mexican's latest run.

Alonso currently top of the timesheets with a 1:14.611. We should be seeing something in the 1:12s or even 1:11s by the end of this session.

04:07 PM

FP2 - A non-track update... guess who's back?

It's Sebastian Vettel, of course.

04:06 PM

FP2 - Verstappen moves top

As mentioned previously, a bit of a problematic and uncomfortable first session for him. He is soon displaced by George Russell of Mercedes, though by just 0.005s.

04:04 PM

FP2 - 57 mins remain

A little more shade on the streets of Monte Carlo now, but still quite toasty with the air temperature at 27c and track temperature at 46c.

Alonso the quickest man early on with a 1:15.959 on the medium tyres.

04:01 PM

GREEN LIGHT: FP2 begins

Sargeant, Hulkenberg and De Vries lead the pack out.

04:00 PM

No word on whether Williams will get Albon's car out for FP2

Fingers crossed for some running in the session. It doesn't look too far away, thankfully after that hefty sideways shunt.

03:56 PM

Nearly time for FP2 to begin

Hopefully we'll get some soft tyre running and a decent idea of who might be in contention for pole position tomorrow.

03:47 PM

First practice report: Sainz leads Alonso

Lewis Hamilton was third in opening practice at the Monaco Grand Prix which ended early after Alex Albon crashed out.

Hamilton, armed with a major Mercedes upgrade, finished the first running in Monte Carlo behind only Carlos Sainz, who topped the order for Ferrari, and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.

Hamilton was ahead of both Red Bulls – with Sergio Perez fourth and world champion Max Verstappen, who complained on multiple occasions about the handling of his Red Bull, sixth. The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc split the Red Bull pair.

The red flags were deployed in the closing minutes when Albon lost control of his Williams through the opening Sainte Devote corner.

The London-born Thai slammed into the wall, but, despite admitting to banging his knees, he emerged relatively unscathed from the 100mph accident.

The same could however, not be said for Albon's Williams following significant damage to the left-hand side of his machine.

After giving up on this season's car on the eve of the opening race, Mercedes have arrived for the sixth round of the season in the sun-cooked principality with a new concept.

The Silver Arrows have abandoned their controversial zero-sidepod design, and introduced a new front suspension, new floor and cooling system in a change of development on a car which has contributed to the longest losing streak of Hamilton's career.

On Sunday, it will be 539 days since Hamilton last stood on the top step of the podium at the penultimate round of the contentious 2021 season in Saudi Arabia.

And although Hamilton ended the opening running 0.663 sec behind Sainz, the seven-time world champion and his Mercedes team might take confidence from finishing ahead of both Red Bull drivers.

Second practice begins at 4pm BST.

PA Sport

03:37 PM

A decent shot from the tunnel, too

03:34 PM

A reminder on the session times

Friday, May 26

All times British Summer Time

Practice 2: 4pm

Saturday, May 27

Practice 3: 11.30am
Qualifying: 3pm

Sunday, May 28

Race: 2pm

03:34 PM

A few more images from first practice

A picturesque race, no doubt.

03:23 PM

There were two red flags in FP1

The first came when Nico Hulkenberg clipped the wall, leaving debris at the Nouvelle Chicane.

And then there was Alexander Albon's crash near the end. 

02:04 PM

Second practice begins at 4pm

We will be back a little before then. Thanks for joining us.

01:52 PM

Andrew Shovlin of Mercedes speaks to Sky Sports F1

01:45 PM

Work to do for Red Bull then

Verstappen is one of those drivers who can build-up to nailing a lap in qualifying, though, a bit like Hamilton. There are still another two hours of practice so I don't think it is a major concern at the moment but his weekend has got off slightly on the back foot.

01:35 PM

Not sure we really got the full picture there

But a good chunk of it. It looks reasonably competitive. Certainly not what you'd call "ominous" form from Red Bull. Well, far from it. Verstappen with a disrupted session in which he was never really happy.

Mixed fortunes for the drivers in the upgraded W14: Hamilton third and Russell 15th, some 1.7s off Sainz's ultimate pace.

01:32 PM

FP1 - Classification

1. SAI 1:13.372

2. ALO  +0.338

3. HAM +0.663

4. PER +0.666

5. LEC +0.721

6. VER +0.872

7. NOR +1.095

8. OCO +1.213

9. STR +1.281

10. ALB +1.294

11. BOT +1.346

12. MAG +1.353

13. TSU +1.448

14. GAS +1.494

15. RUS +1.694

16. DEV +1.711

17. PIA  +1.820

18. SAR +2.185

19. ZHO +2.312

20. HUL +2.413

01:29 PM

FP1 - Session ends

With just a few minutes on the clock and a car to be recovered they call an end to the session.

It's actually the entire left side that has hit the wall. He lost the rear mid-corner, slid into the barriers with the rear left first and then the front left second. It's a bit of a mess. He was running well, in the top 10 again.

01:28 PM

RED FLAG

Albon in the wall at turn one...

It seems like a significant crash, but it probably looks worse than it is. The left rear has collapsed inwards.

01:24 PM

FP1 - Eight minutes remain

Alonso with the fastest first sector, but without any improvement in the second two sectors. It's his fastest lap of the session and is enough for second, 0.020s off Sainz.

Alonso not happy at being "blocked" by Sergio Perez and he says he's going to stay on the racing line on his slow laps for the rest of the session. We've got vintage Fernando this weekend, that is for sure. Can we get a vintage Fernando win?

01:22 PM

FP1 - Verstappen struggling still

He abandons his lap at the swimming pool section and then trundles through the next lap. He has been vocal on the radio throughout the session about how the car is performing. Has issues with the rear towards the chicanes at the end of the lap.

01:19 PM

FP1 - 12 mins remain

A strange incident as Hamilton and Verstappen head to the Nouvelle Chicane. Hamilton cuts the chicane to seemingly get out of the way of Verstappen behind, but then Verstappen does the same thing and they end up going side-by-side over the run-off...

Sainz now the fastest man, 0.058s ahead of Alonso. Almost all of the runners on the medium tyres now.

01:17 PM

FP1 - Alonso the first man into the 1:13s

A 1:13.907, 0.128s faster than Hamilton.

A few more set-up changes to Verstappen's car.

01:14 PM

FP1 - We're back under way

17 minutes remain, so only a short stoppage.

01:12 PM

FP1 - Full order under the red flags

1. HAM 1:14.035

2. ALO +0.064

3. SAI +0.210

4. VER +0.245

5. NOR +0.432

6. LEC +0.497

7. ALB +0.631

8. PER +0.774

9. TSU +0.929

10. BOT +1.126

11. PIA +1.157

12. STR +1.248

13. DEV +1.287

14. RUS +1.503

15. MAG +1.527

16. OCO +1.616

17. HUL +1.750

18. GAS +1.879

19. ZHO +2.965

20. SAR +3.367

01:09 PM

FP1 - RED FLAG

There must be some debris out there from that issue. Yeah, some bits of carbon fibre right on the racing line. Hopefully a short delay of just a few minutes.

22 minutes on the clock. 

01:07 PM

FP1 - Yellow flags

There's the Haas of Hulkenberg crabbing out of the Nouvelle Chicane... he has a rear left puncture so he must have whacked the wall going into the chicane.

He limps back to the pits without too much concern, with the tyre still - just about - on the rim.

01:05 PM

FP1 - Sargeant's car has been noted as possibly being released in an unsafe condition

In other words, with a loose rear wheel.

01:03 PM

FP1 - Verstappen says the car is a little better but still bad on the bumps

He is told he may have to live with it for this session.

01:02 PM

FP1 - Current top 10 and gaps at the half-way stage

1. HAM 1:14.035

2. SAI +0.210

3. NOR +0.432

4. VER +0.454

5. LEC +0.497

6. ALO +0.623

7. ALB +0.696

8. PER +0.774

9. TSU +0.929

10. PIA +1.157

01:00 PM

FP1 - Hamilton, according to the timing screens is on the wet weather tyres

And he's just set the fastest first sector time on them.

That, clearly, is not correct. Ah, things sort themselves out and he goes fastest of all with the fastest final sector, too.

His lap time of 1:14.035 is 0.210s faster than Sainz. He was on the mediums.

12:59 PM

FP1 - 33 mins remain

Logan Sargeant says he feels something weird with the car. He comes back into the pits. Not sure what it is...

James Vowles, team principal, tells Sky Sports F1 that there was more movement on one of the rear wheels than they've have thought, saying it could be the differential but they are currently unsure.

12:55 PM

A closer look at the new-look Mercedes

12:54 PM

FP1 - Full order

1. SAI

2. LEC

3. ALO

4. VER

5. MAG

6. STR

7. OCO

8. TSU

9. NOR

10. HUL

11. HAM

12. BOT

13. GAS

14. ALB

15. PER

16. PIA

17. DEV

18. RUS

19. ZHO

20. SAR

12:52 PM

Watch: Stroll thwacks the wall

Always a danger here, obviously. He's currently in sixth, 1.217s off Sainz's best lap.

Full order incoming.

12:51 PM

FP1 - Sainz now fastest

A 1:14.401 puts him 0.131s ahead of his team-mate Leclerc. Alonso in third.

Verstappen still not happy with the set-up on his RB19 and comes back into the pit lane.

Verstappen currently fourth, though, with team-mate Perez 13th having not done a great deal of running.

12:48 PM

FP1 - Leclerc goes into the 1:14s

It's a Ferrari 1-2 at the top currently, with Sainz 0.208s behind. Both on the medium tyres, though, when most runs from other teams have been on the hard tyres.

12:44 PM

FP1 - Top 10 and gaps

1. LEC 1:15.037

2. SAI +0.161

3. ALO +0.631

4. NOR +0.705

5. VER +0.759

6. HAM +1.159

7. STR +1.171

8. HUL +1.289

9. TSU +1.392

10. MAG +1.543

12:40 PM

FP1 - On board with Hamilton on TV now

He's 0.470s off after two sectors, Leclerc with the fastest time so far. He then crosses the line with a 1:16.196 with the fastest final sector to go second fastest of all. A mixture of drivers on the hard and medium tyres in the top six now.

12:39 PM

FP1 - Verstappen still not happy

He says the car is incredibly difficult to drive in the high-speed. Yellow flags briefly, not sure why. Sainz kisses the barrier with his front right going into the swimming pool chicane, aka Piscine.

12:36 PM

FP1 - Lap times tumbling

As you would expect. Street circuits are often about finding the rhythm and this is probably the track that requires finding the rhythm more than any other.

Alonso goes into the 1:17s and then Norris goes into the 1:16s.

Verstappen, meanwhile, complains that his car is "bottoming a lot".

12:35 PM

FP1 - Verstappen on the radio

"The clutch is almost impossible out of the pits," he says as he leaves his garage.

Alonso sets the fastest time of the day so far in the Aston Martin, a 1:20.403 though Hamilton in the Mercedes beats that by 0.358s and then Norris beats his time by 1.4s, albeit on the medium compound tyres.

12:33 PM

FP1 - Perez out fairly early

He won here last year, which probably went some way to getting him a new Red Bull contract. Had a bit of a dip in form not long after but has been largely excellent since.

12:31 PM

GREEN LIGHT: FP1 begins!

A lovely day in Monaco.

12:26 PM

Just a few minutes until we get going

Yes, the race is often dull and uneventful but the build-up to it and qualifying are among the best of the year, in my opinion. Let's enjoy that for now and, if you get the chance for a bit of a snooze during Sunday's running don't be too ungrateful?

12:21 PM

McLaren have a new livery for this race

Is it good or bad? I am not sure. Is it a mess? A little, yes.

12:13 PM

Revealed: Mercedes unveil new upgrades after ditching 'zero-pod' design for Monaco GP

Mercedes hope their new upgrades will bring them closer to the clear front-runners in Red Bull after a difficult season so far. Here's how they look in more detail, and of course we will see things a bit more detail very shortly. Will they work? Probably hard to tell at Monaco.

12:11 PM

A reminder of the remaining races

12:06 PM

Honda announces F1 return with Aston Martin – and would even welcome Fernando Alonso reunion

A bit more news from the last week, in case you missed it.

Read more from Tom Cary in Monaco here. 

11:59 AM

A reminder of the session timings for this weekend

Gone is the Thursday practice, as you will have noticed.

Friday, May 26

All times British Summer Time

Practice 1: 12.30pm
Practice 2: 4pm

Saturday, May 27

Practice 3: 11.30am
Qualifying: 3pm

Sunday, May 28

Race: 2pm

11:56 AM

We know that qualifying is all-important at Monaco

Here is a chart that shows how each team is shaping up in qualifying so far this year.

Nobody really that close to Red Bull but Mercedes' problems are clear to see. They have a better race car than over one-lap but they are still trailing Aston Martin in the standings, who seem to have a pretty handy car all-round.

11:49 AM

Lewis Hamilton reveals new Mercedes contract 'weeks away' after dismissing Ferrari links

Read more from Tom Cary here. 

11:43 AM

Current constructor standings

11:31 AM

Current driver standings - Top 10

11:28 AM

Good morning

Hello and welcome to our live coverage for the first two practice sessions for the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix from Monte Carlo. First practice begins at 12.30pm BST with second practice at 4pm and we will be here for the latest updates and lap times from both hour-long sessions.

So, F1 returns to Monaco again. It is one of the races that attracts the most interest, but is that interest really warranted? Yes and no. It is clearly one of the most picturesque settings and at least gives the illusion of glamour around the sport. The challenges of threading an F1 car between the barriers is especially difficult. Some might say more difficult than it used to be because of the size of the modern cars, but no doubt these cars are easier to drive in many ways than what came before.

Still, the point (a not especially novel one) is that the spectacle rarely matches up to idea in Monaco. There have been calls to remodel the track, do something different with the format but nothing has been changed or even really talked about being changed so we are stuck with the same format and will no doubt be left asking the same questions in a few day's time.

In any case, this year's racing has been largely predictable with Red Bull at the front. There has been a fine battle behind them but it would be a push to rate any race as more than 7/10 with most falling well below that mark. Another dull Monaco would be fitting.

It is perhaps the case that, because overtaking is so difficult, that it makes qualifying even more interesting and perhaps it does. Mercedes have their first significant upgrade package to the W14 and it is visually different, especially around the sidepods. I am not entirely sure we will get much of an uptick in performance for two reasons.

One, because Monaco is not really like any other track and the update package will have been designed for it to go faster on more traditional tracks (like Barcelona next week). Second, because we've heard a lot of talk from Mercedes in the last year or so and it has not amounted to a great deal. In any case, they need to understand these significant upgrades first in the real world to get the most out of them. That is not going to come over one weekend.

Reasons to be interested, then? Well, because of some reasons mentioned above it could be the best chance we have had so far this year (and possibly for the rest of the year) for someone other than Red Bull to win a race.

The RB19's advantage over the rest of the field has been smaller in qualifying and is likely to be smaller on this unusual track. Could we see another team on pole and then Red Bull fail to get past? Perhaps, but it might come down to strategy again and we know how good Red Bull are at that. Don't get your hopes up too much, mind you.