Monaco GP: Antonelli tops final practice as Bortoleto finishes 7th

Charles Leclerc set the early benchmark in the opening phase of the session, but the lead quickly changed hands as teammate Lewis Hamilton moved ahead and at one point held a margin of 0.7 seconds over the Monegasque driver. That advantage, however, did not last for long.

As the session developed, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ George Russell both produced quicker laps to push to the top of the timesheets. Leclerc responded with a more competitive run, but it was not enough to regain control of the session. Instead, Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli also improved to move ahead of him, leaving Leclerc further down the order.

By the end of the first third of the session, the pecking order had shifted again, with multiple drivers finding stronger pace as track conditions evolved. Leclerc’s initial reference time, which had briefly looked good enough to set the standard, was ultimately eclipsed by a series of faster laps from rivals in different teams. Hamilton’s brief dominance was also overturned as the field continued to improve.

The early exchanges highlighted how quickly the balance of performance can change during a session, with several frontrunners trading fastest times in a short period. Norris and Russell showed enough speed to unsettle the initial Ferrari pace, while Antonelli’s move past Leclerc added another twist to the opening phase. For Ferrari, the session began positively with Leclerc on top, but the Monegasque driver was soon forced to chase the developing benchmark rather than set it.

The sequence underlined a competitive opening, with no driver able to hold the lead for long as the times continued to fall. Leclerc, Hamilton, Norris, Russell and Antonelli all featured prominently in the early running, reflecting a tight and evolving battle at the front.