Breaking: Lewis Hamilton crashes out as McLaren and Red Bull beaten by…read more

The third and final practice session (FP3) ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix was filled with action, frustration, and a late red flag incident that brought it to an early close. Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, suffered a significant crash late in the session, which forced race officials to wave the red flag just minutes before the scheduled end. This incident halted all running on the streets of Monte Carlo, leaving teams with less time than planned to finalize their setups before qualifying.

Charles Leclerc, Hamilton’s teammate at Ferrari, continued his commanding form on home soil by topping the timesheets for the third consecutive session this weekend. The Monegasque driver clocked a fastest lap of 1:10.953, further establishing himself as the clear favorite heading into Saturday’s qualifying session. Leclerc appears determined to make an impact at his home race, especially after a string of misfortunes in previous Monaco appearances.

Behind Leclerc, Max Verstappen of Red Bull secured the second-fastest time of the session, though he was 0.280 seconds off Leclerc’s pace. The reigning world champion appeared somewhat out of sync with the rhythm of the narrow street circuit, perhaps struggling slightly to extract the most from his car. Just behind him was Lando Norris in the McLaren, who put in a solid performance to go third fastest, trailing Leclerc by just under three-tenths of a second.

Oscar Piastri made it two McLarens in the top four, finishing a few tenths behind his teammate Norris. Piastri’s smooth and consistent performance suggested that McLaren could pose a threat to Ferrari and Red Bull in qualifying, especially if track position becomes a deciding factor.

Lewis Hamilton, prior to his crash, had managed to post the fifth-fastest time, though he was over half a second slower than Leclerc. The British driver had been looking competitive in his Ferrari, but his session ended abruptly after he clipped the wall, leading to substantial damage and raising concerns about the condition of his car heading into qualifying.

Further down the order, Alex Albon delivered an impressive performance in his Williams, securing sixth place and showing promise for the team on a circuit where driver skill can sometimes offset car deficiencies. Liam Lawson, standing in for an absent regular driver at Racing Bulls, continued to make a case for a future full-time seat by finishing seventh.

Carlos Sainz, surprisingly driving for Williams rather than his usual Ferrari team — possibly due to a driver swap or test setup — ended the session in eighth, just ahead of Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, who was a fraction behind. Rounding out the top ten was Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes, showing steady progress in his rookie season.

George Russell, also in a Mercedes, could only manage the 11th fastest time, while veteran Fernando Alonso’s session was cut short or unremarkable, placing him outside the top ten. The session was marked by chaotic traffic, with many drivers struggling to find clean air for flying laps. As a result, team radios were filled with frustrated messages as drivers repeatedly found themselves impeded by slower cars or out-of-sequence runs.

Overall, FP3 highlighted Leclerc’s supremacy in Monaco this weekend, but also reminded teams of the razor-thin margins and hazards of the iconic street circuit. With Hamilton’s crash casting some uncertainty over Ferrari’s momentum, all eyes will now turn to qualifying to see if Leclerc can convert his practice dominance into pole position — and whether Red Bull and McLaren can close the gap.