Charles Leclerc smashed into the back of Lance Stroll's Aston Martin before giving himself an early boost with the fastest lap for Ferrari in first practice for his home Monaco Grand Prix on Friday. Last year's winner from pole position clocked the leading time of one minute and 11.

Leclerc doubted his Ferrari would excel in the slow-speed corners of Monaco but showed strong pace after receiving a new front wing to finish 0.163 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen. McLaren’s Lando Norris was third, over three tenths off the pace, with Alex Albon fourth for Williams ahead of championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Eventually, FP1 would resume, and that is when Hamilton started dealing with traffic issues. The first incident came at the quick Massenet corner when he had to bail on a flying l