The 2^nd free practice session of the 80^th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco did not produce the same result as the first, earlier this afternoon: Ferrari remained in good place, thanks to Charles Leclerc (2^nd) and Carlos Sainz (3^rd), but Max Verstappen, the two-time reigning World Champion, regained the upper hand by setting the fastest time of the day, just ahead of the Scuderia duo.

The main reason for hope for the public, ahead of Saturday’s eagerly-awaited qualifying session, was to see the top four drivers in this session all within 2 tenths of a second of each other. A mere 65 thousandths of a second separates Verstappen and Leclerc, who claimed two pole positions in a row on the streets of his home town, in 2021 and 2022.

Another confirmation from the 1^st session is the fact that two serial World Champions, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), are in the mix this weekend. “Nando” again took 4^th place and Sir Lewis 6^th, ahead of Sergio Pérez in the other Red Bull. Between the Spaniard and the Englishman, nine world crowns between them, the surprising Lando Norris (McLaren), 5^th fastest in this 2^nd session, showed his face.

The session was interrupted at the end, however, when Carlos Sainz crashed out of the S de la Piscine, putting an end to his attempts to improve his time. We’ll see them all again for the 3^rd and final free practice session, on Saturday at 12:30 pm….

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