#FP2: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in second practice at Monaco after Ricciardo brings out red flags

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FP2: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in second practice at Monaco after Ricciardo brings out red flags

Charles Leclerc finished fastest in the second practice session ahead of the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, with Ferrari team mate Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez completing the top three on a hot day in the Principality. Daniel Ricciardo was garage-bound for the first 10 minutes of FP2 with McLaren working on the rear of his car. Soon after emerging, the Australian brought out a red flag having lost the rear of the car and smashed into the barriers at Swimming Pool. The session was resumed with under 40 minutes to play. WATCH: Daniel Ricciardo’s FP2 ends in the barriers after crash at the Swimming Pool complex Before Ricciardo’s off, Perez went fastest with a time of 1m 14.001s, while the Ferraris were the only pair to run hards early on, the rest beginning on mediums. After the red flag, softs began to come into play and the time attack began, the digits tumbling until Leclerc set the fastest lap of 1m 12.656s, Ferrari team mate Sainz just 0.044s behind in P2. That left Red Bull’s Perez third by 0.379s to Leclerc and Verstappen 0.447s behind his championship rival in P4. Norris had a near-miss at Turn 1 after putting in a lap good for P5, 0.638s off the pace, with Mercedes’ George Russell a tenth behind in P6 having brushed his wheels at Turn 5, before complaining of a loss of power late on. Pierre Gasly took seventh for AlphaTauri as the last driver within a second of P1. 1 Charles Leclerc LEC Ferrari 1:12.656 2 Carlos Sainz SAI Ferrari +0.044s 3 Sergio Perez PER Red Bull Racing +0.379s 4 Max Verstappen VER Red Bull Racing +0.447s 5 Lando Norris NOR McLaren +0.638s Fernando Alonso was over three-tenths off the AlphaTauri in eighth, his team mate Esteban Ocon only managing a lap good enough for P18 in the other Alpine. Sebastian Vettel had an early near-miss at Swimming Pool, almost mirroring Ricciardo’s accident but putting in a spectacular save to carry on and finish ninth – AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda just 0.07s back to round out the top 10. Tsunoda and Kevin Magnussen, 11th, were investigated for an alleged unsafe rejoin and also an impeding incident in FP2. HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from the first practice session in Monaco as Leclerc tops the timesheets Lewis Hamilton finished 12th, nearly a second behind team mate George Russell, while Valtteri Bottas took P13 for Alfa Romeo. The Finnish driver had his MGU-K replaced after he missed FP1, Bottas spending much of FP2 on medium tyres – like his team mate Zhou Guanyu in P15 – with Alex Albon splitting the Haas drivers in his Williams. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll took P16 ahead of Mick Schumacher, the Haas driver’s MGU-K and gearbox having been replaced for this session after he stopped at the pit entry in FP1. Behind Schumacher was Ocon for Alpine and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi in P19 – McLaren's Ricciardo 20th, having failed to set a time. FP3 and qualifying are next up on Saturday afternoon in Monaco, Leclerc having led both practice sessions ahead of his home Grand Prix. Tap here to subscribe to F1 TV for enhanced race coverage, exclusive shows, archive video and more 2022 Monaco GP FP2: Ricciardo ends his Friday running in the barriers after heavy crash in second practice via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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FP2: Verstappen pips Leclerc by 0.081s to sweep Friday practice sessions in Montreal

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen set the pace in second practice for the Canadian Grand Prix, but his title rival Charles Leclerc kept him honest as he ended up just 0.081s adrift at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Red Bull driver clocked a 1m 14.127s on fresh soft tyres, with a chunk of fuel taken out, to top the times ahead of Leclerc, with the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz two tenths of a second off the pace in third. AS IT HAPPENED: All the action from second practice for the Canadian Grand Prix Perhaps the surprise of the session came from Sebastian Vettel, winner in Canada in 2018, with the German putting his Aston Martin a superb fourth, only 0.315s off the ultimate pace. Fernando Alonso looked strong in first practice and he continued that form into the second session, slotting his Alpine into fifth – a tenth behind his fellow world champion Vettel – with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly sixth. 1 Max Verstappen VER Red Bull Racing 1:14.127 2 Charles Leclerc LEC Ferrari +0.081s 3 Carlos Sainz SAI Ferrari +0.225s 4 Sebastian Vettel VET Aston Martin +0.315s 5 Fernando Alonso ALO Alpine +0.416s Gasly ran wide at final chicane and went the wrong side of the bollard, prompting the stewards to say they will be investigating the incident after the race. Vettel did the same and will be investigated, too, as will team mate Lance Stroll. George Russell was the leading Mercedes in seventh, with McLaren’s Lando Norris slotting into eighth and making it seven different teams in the top eight positions, with just 0.860s separating the octet. GOOD LAP vs GREAT LAP: Ride onboard with Gasly and Verstappen in Montreal Daniel Ricciardo continued his turnaround in form with ninth, less than half a tenth of a second behind team mate Norris, as Esteban Ocon completed the top 10. Monaco Grand Prix winner Sergio Perez had a disappointing middle sector on his soft tyre run and thus was out of position in 11th, ahead of Stroll, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton only 13th – 0.4s slower than team mate Russell. 2022 Canadian GP FP2: ‘Absolutely crazy!’ – Magnussen furious after near miss in the pit lane with Vettel Hamilton reverted to the standard floor for this season, rather than the version that had a hole cut into it which he ran in FP1, to bring him in line with Russell. Kevin Magnussen looked stronger than he did this morning with 14th – the Dane having finished FP1 in P20 – a fraction clear of Haas team mate Mick Schumacher, with Zhou Guanyu 16th, his Alfa Romeo team mate Valtteri Bottas’s Friday practice woes continuing as he failed to set a time. READ MORE: Tsunoda to start Canadian GP from back after engine change, as Leclerc avoids penalty The Finn did get out on track, running three laps, but he was called back each time when the team discovered a problem, including him losing drive and coasting into the pits. Yuki Tsunoda – who is on a different programme as he’ll be starting the race from the back of the grid after engine penalties, and therefore is focused on long run performance rather than qualifying – was 17th, with Williams duo Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi 18th and 19th respectively, ahead of Bottas. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Gasly says AlphaTauri enjoyed a 'lot of positives' as he aims to avoid 'silly situations' in Monaco qualifying

Even as one of the top midfield drivers on Friday in Monaco, an encouraged Pierre Gasly is still not fully comfortable with his AlphaTauri around the streets. Gasly was sixth fastest in FP1 and followed that up with seventh place in FP2 to round off a strong start to the weekend in the Principality, with only Lando Norris setting quicker lap times outside of the top three teams. The Frenchman was happy with how competitive AlphaTauri looks after a tough run of results, but still thinks there’s more to find. FP2: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in second practice at Monaco after Ricciardo brings out red flags “It was difficult but like always in Monaco,” Gasly said. “I must say I’m really, really happy with this Friday in terms of performance. We were definitely always on top of the midfield so that’s really positive. Obviously we are working quite hard at the wheel but it’s as you would expect in Monaco. “So far we have shown a lot of positives I would say on this Friday. I managed to do clean laps, put things together and be competitive. I would still not say I am feeling 100% comfortable because I touched the wall a couple of times here and there trying to find the limit but overall I’m pretty pleased and we’ll try and do a step forward again for tomorrow.” Gasly finished sixth in FP1 and seventh in FP2 Given his return of just six points from the opening six races, the main priority for Gasly in qualifying will be to make sure he avoids any incidents or issues that could compromise the rest of his weekend. “We will have to try to find the right spot. It’s a short track, a lot of cars and competitive drivers who try to find the best position on a very tiny track. For sure it’s not going to be easy. We have the pace to go through to Q2 for sure this weekend and we just need to keep it clean, not do any mistakes or be involved in any silly situations and we’ll focus on that tomorrow.” READ MORE: Leclerc says Ferrari need to make 'another step' despite healthy gap to rivals in Monaco practice Tsunoda worked his way into the top 10 in FP2 In contrast to Gasly, his team mate Yuki Tsunoda was just outside the top 10 in FP1 and 10th in the second session, half a second off the lead AlphaTauri on both occasions. READ MORE: ‘We’ll be ready for tomorrow’ – Ricciardo downplays FP2 crash as Norris admits surprise at being ahead of Mercedes on Friday “Today has been quite a difficult day, almost every push lap in both sessions I had traffic, so I didn’t get a clean run that I was happy with,” Tsunoda said. “On top of that, I made a mistake on the first set of new tyres in FP2 and had a huge flat spot, meaning I had to finish my first stint earlier than planned. “Hopefully tomorrow things will be better, but now I know what to expect and everyone is facing the same situation, so I need to focus on myself and the things I need to improve ahead of qualifying.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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HIGHLIGHTS: Watch as Ferrari lead the way in FP2 for the Monaco Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc made it two from two on Friday, as the Ferrari driver topped the timesheets of the second practice session at the Monaco Grand Prix ahead of team mate Carlos Sainz. As temperatures cooled, Leclerc set the fastest time of the day with a time of 1m 12.656s on the soft tyre, with Sainz a further 0.044s behind his team mate. Sergio Perez was lead Red Bull as he finished in P3, with team mate Max Verstappen P4. For the second session in a row, Lando Norris was in P5, with George Russell finishing sixth ahead of Pierre Gasly. Lewis Hamilton set the 12th-fastest time of the session, while after being confined to the pit lane in the first practice session, Valtteri Bottas finished 13th. FP2: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in second practice at Monaco after Ricciardo brings out red flags Daniel Ricciardo brought out the only red flag of the session after the Australian driver crashed into the barriers at Swimming Pool on his first push lap. Click on the video player above to relive the action from a fascinating second session of the day in Monaco. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Well be ready for tomorrow Ricciardo downplays FP2 crash as Norris admits surprise at being ahead of Mercedes on Friday

McLaren enjoyed an impressive first day of running at the Monaco Grand Prix, despite driver Daniel Ricciardo’s second session being cut short after he crashed into the barrier at the Swimming Pool complex. But the Aussie driver didn't appear to be overly worried by the situation, as he suggested that an extreme set-up was the main cause behind the accident. 2018 Monaco Grand Prix winner Ricciardo – who’s only scored 11points to team mate Lando Norris’s 39 so far this year – had made a positive start to the weekend by setting the seventh fastest time of the first practice session. But on his first flying run in the second session of the day, Ricciardo lost the back end of the car and ended up in the barrier. Explaining the crash, Ricciardo said: “Obviously it happens quickly, but it kind of slowed down as well. Like, I knew everything that was happening, and I tried to save it but already kind of into Turn 13, I already started losing it. READ MORE: McLaren to honour Senna legacy by permanently featuring logo on F1 cars “I could feel the car was starting to get away from me and yes, a little strange. I think normally you pick up some stuff on Turn 14, on the kerb, if you kind of get a bit too greedy then the car can get unloaded. But I think honestly, we just pushed a few things with set-up. Obviously, we’re trying but we pushed a little too far probably in a couple of areas.” 2022 Monaco GP FP2: Ricciardo ends his Friday running in the barriers after heavy crash in second practice When looking ahead to the qualifying action on Saturday, Ricciardo admitted that there were still a few unknowns with McLaren’s place in the hierarchy – but believes they showed enough on Friday to know they can compete with their rivals. “Yes, [the pace is good],” Ricciardo said. “You kind of never really know how you’re going to go around here in terms of if you’re in that midfield scrap. You’re either in the front end or the back end, but today at least we showed that we are going to be relatively competitive around here and for, let’s say, our battle. “ FP2: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in second practice at Monaco after Ricciardo brings out red flags Ricciardo’s team mate Lando Norris – who finished a strong P5 in both Friday practice sessions, despite still struggling with the after effects of a bout of tonsillitis – was happy with the team’s display on the first day of running in Monaco, but also had one eye of both the Mercedes and the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly, who wound up P7 in FP2. “It’s the aim for sure [to be the best of the rest],” admitted Norris. “I think it’s not going to be easy. Mercedes seem very close and AlphaTauri seem very close as well. A little bit surprised to say we’re ahead of Mercedes; I expected them to maybe be ahead of us at the minute, but the plan is to be ahead of them and if we can be I’ll be very happy with that.” Ricciardo says he ‘pushed a little too far’ on setup after ‘strange’ FP2 shunt via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Hamilton 'fighting the car' around Monaco as Mercedes pair target overnight improvements

It’s going to be a long night for the Silver Arrows after Lewis Hamilton and George Russell faced their respective struggles in Friday practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, with Hamilton in particular stressing that he found the 2022-spec cars a handful around these tight streets. After a much-improved showing in Spain, Mercedes’ fortunes contrasted on Friday in Monaco with Lewis Hamilton finishing P10 then P12 in the respective practice sessions – Russell going P8 then P6. Hamilton then explained exactly why he struggled after finishing out of the top 10 in FP2. FP2: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in second practice at Monaco after Ricciardo brings out red flags “Firstly, it's the bumpiest the track [has] ever been. It's probably the bumpiest track I've ever driven, so that makes it one, difficult – but two, just generally our car bounces a lot. It's different bouncing to what we've experienced in the past; it's in the low-speed also, but it's not aero[-related]. “I think the bumps on the track just make it worse. But otherwise, I’m not really having to learn the track differently. Just fighting the car to put a lap together is [like]: ‘wow... holy crap! I don't remember experiencing it like that before’.” Hamilton admitted it was tough going in Monaco on Friday The seven-time champion and three-time Monaco Grand Prix winner added that he’s expecting a battle with McLaren this weekend. “As I said, putting the lap together is difficult, but I think we made some improvements going into that session [FP2]. And it doesn't even feel like, when you actually do try and put a lap together, the grip doesn't feel terrible. “It's just your eyeballs are coming out of the sockets. So, we've got some work to do overnight to try and fix that. As anticipated, I didn't think we would be as quick as the Ferraris and the Red Bulls. Our battle is to try and stay ahead of the McLarens I think.” READ MORE: The top 8 Monaco masters – and their greatest wins in the Principality ‘There are points when you’re almost doing a wheelie’ – Russell explains Mercedes car struggles at Monaco Team mate Russell agreed, despite finishing in the top 10 in both sessions. “I don't feel too bad after today,” he said. “I think I could be feeling better. I think it was a relatively good day but we're not where we want to be. We're P6, there's a McLaren ahead of us. We want to be best of the rest, I think that's going to be a fair result this weekend in the sense of behind Ferrari and Red Bull. But we need to make sure we don't have cheeky little Lando [Norris] popping it in there too.” READ MORE: Red Bull 'surprised' at gap to Ferrari after Verstappen and Perez trail Leclerc in Monaco practice Russell added that the stiffer 2022-spec cars are making it even harder to put together a lap, something Hamilton alluded to in his comments above. Furthermore, Mercedes’ new recruit added that Ferrari aren’t struggling as much – and his squad have it all to do to catch up. “Very, very stiff around a bumpy street circuit, it's not easy to put it on the limit, and I think that's one of the biggest difficulties. And I think Ferrari… we're seeing how good they've been over the kerbs. We saw it in Imola, they were just smashing over them with relative ease and it's obviously playing into their hands at the moment, so we've got a lot of work to do overnight. “I'm not too sure we can really close that gap but nevertheless, it's always good fun driving around here.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Red Bull 'surprised' at gap to Ferrari after Verstappen and Perez trail Leclerc in Monaco practice

Red Bull are playing catch-up after Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez fell behind the Ferraris in the opening practice sessions of the Monaco Grand Prix – and both drivers admitted they had their work cut out. Home hero Charles Leclerc swept both sessions, Carlos Sainz backing up a Ferrari one-two in FP2, as Red Bull ended the second session trailing the Scuderia by over three tenths of a second. Afterwards, Sergio Perez, who was second then third in the respective sessions, commented on his rival team’s “very strong” Friday showing. FP2: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in second practice at Monaco after Ricciardo brings out red flags “It’s really nice to be driving back in Monaco, as always,” said Perez. “It’s been a good two sessions – the long run was a bit difficult with the traffic – but all in all, we seem to be lacking a bit compared to the Ferraris; they seemed very strong today. So, we will analyse everything and see what we can do. But they seem to be pretty strong today. “Yes, we were surprised,” admitted Perez, “we were expecting a bit of a gap but not such a gap, so plenty of work to do and we’ll see – I mean, Q3. Q3 is what matters.” Championship leader Verstappen, who was fourth in both sessions, did acknowledge that Ferrari had the upper hand but said that Red Bull are still trying to strike the perfect set-up balance, before he detailed the sensation of driving the brand-new 2022 car around Monaco. “I think overall we’ve been trying a few things around here to see how the car’s behaving,” said Verstappen. “I think I was a little bit happier in FP1 than FP2 and yes of course, if you have a little bit of a better balance, you can attack a bit more and of course your lap time comes out a bit better. WATCH: Daniel Ricciardo’s FP2 ends in the barriers after crash at the Swimming Pool complex “Clearly, compared to Ferrari we have to find a little bit more – and now it’s also about finding my balance as well. “You can feel the weight of the cars, a bit heavier, a bit slower, a bit bumpier in these cars as well because they are stiffer, but it’s alright. It’s a bit more difficult with the visibility but it’s very hectic to drive around here,” added the Dutchman. Verstappen has a six-point lead over Leclerc in the drivers’ championship while Red Bull are 26 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ – but it seems the Scuderia have the advantage in Monaco so far. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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WATCH: Ride onboard with Leclerc as he sets the fastest time on the opening day in Monaco

Around the streets he knows so well, Charles Leclerc proved the man to beat as he set the fastest time of the day on Friday at the Monaco Grand Prix. As the teams ran their qualifying simulations on the soft tyre, Leclerc set a time of 1m 12.656s to produce the quickest time of the day to lead team mate Carlos Sainz by 0.044s. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was 0.379s behind Leclerc in third, with Max Verstappen in fourth. FP2: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in second practice at Monaco after Ricciardo brings out red flags Click on the video player above to ride onboard with Leclerc around the streets of Monte Carlo. Tap here to subscribe to F1 TV for enhanced race coverage, exclusive shows, archive video and more via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com