Monégasque racing driver Charles Leclerc dominated Saturday’s final practice session at the Monaco Grand Prix, setting the pace for Ferrari with a commanding lap, while Lewis Hamilton’s promising run ended abruptly after a crash.
The local hero and last year’s Monaco winner recorded a blistering lap of 1 minute 10.953 seconds — the only driver to break the 1:11 mark — finishing 0.280 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Leclerc’s strong showing gave Ferrari hope of repeating their emotional 2024 victory. However, celebrations were tempered when Hamilton crashed near Casino Square, bringing out a red flag and halting the session.
Hamilton, who had shown competitive pace earlier, lost control of his Mercedes while closely trailing Kimi Antonelli and Esteban Ocon.
Buffeted by disturbed airflow, the seven-time champion clipped the barriers and sustained damage to both the front and rear of his car.
Fortunately, he walked away unharmed. “Sorry guys, I’ve hit the wall,” he radioed in after the incident, as his team scrambled to assess whether the car could be ready in time for qualifying later that afternoon.
McLaren’s Lando Norris secured the third-fastest time, just ahead of his teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri. Hamilton’s earlier efforts were still good enough for fifth, with Williams’ Alex Albon in sixth.
Racing Bull’s Liam Lawson impressed in seventh, ahead of Carlos Sainz in the second Williams, Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, and Mercedes’ Antonelli rounding out the top ten.
The session had started quietly but soon ramped up with a flurry of fastest laps exchanged between Hamilton, Norris, and Leclerc before Verstappen briefly seized the lead.
But the Monegasque crowd was soon cheering again as Leclerc surged ahead, just before Hamilton’s mishap brought the excitement to a premature end.
