Ferrari and Red Bull went blow for blow in Free Practice 2, just to end Friday on a positive note, with a slight psychological advantage. The leading quartet moved for an hour, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, for the Scuderia, Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez, for Red Bull Racing, ensuring a colorful spectacle, without sparing their efforts. At the end of this first street brawl, a perfect teaser for a fierce weekend, the local hero, Monegasque Charles Leclerc, finished at the top of the time sheet, same as in FP1 earlier in the afternoon, with a time of 1:12.656, just ahead of his Spanish teammate and both Red Bull drivers in an unusual order, with the Mexican ahead of the Dutchman.

Behind the four untouchables, the places of honor were also hotly contested, between five different teams: McLaren, with Lando Norris (5th) all alone following Daniel Ricciardo’s big crash at the Swimming Pool, which caused a red flag to be deployed for several minutes, Mercedes with George Russell (6th), AlphaTauri thanks to Pierre Gasly (7th), Alpine represented by Fernando Alonso (8th) and Aston Martin, with Sebastian Vettel (9th) in the Top 10. So that Saturday promises to be thrilling with a qualifying session where no expert can reasonably predict a detailed result. It will happen Saturday from 4 pm in the streets of Monaco. And it will be hot.

Photo : © Philippe Magoni