Jenson Button says Max Verstappen and Mercedes could be Ferrari’s biggest threats in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. Button said: "Definitely [Max Verstappen is in the mix]. It's going to be who gets the lap together around Monaco when you are pushing to the limit - and who puts it in the wall, because that's also possible. Mercedes a little bit off the pace but overnight we have seen them improve [before] so they could be in the fight as well."

🇲🇨 Qualifying



Ferrari and Audi have raised concerns over the proposed change to F1’s 2027 power-unit rules that would shift the current 50/50 split between internal combustion and electric power to 60/40 in favour of the ICE, despite the FIA saying it was “agreed in principle”. During manufacturer meetings over the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Ferrari’s worries were said to centre on how the Additional Development and Upgrades Opportunities (ADUO) framework would apply, while Audi is reportedly pushing for a slower change – a smaller shift in 2027 before moving fully to 60/40 in 2028 – mainly on cost and feasibility grounds. A formal decision is due at the next PUAC meeting on June 14.

Carlos Sainz says Williams’ response to its disappointing 2026 form has helped him regain faith in the team’s long-term project. Sainz said: "Thanks to the shock of that bump, James and his team put [in place] a very strong action to correct them, to erase them from the system. That made me recover a lot of faith and belief in the project."

Fernando Alonso says the current generation of Formula 1 cars is “probably the worst” he has driven around Monaco. Alonso said: "This is probably the worst generation of cars I ever drove in Monaco."

Oscar Piastri says he does not have any “great ideas” on how to improve his McLaren for Saturday at the Monaco Grand Prix after a difficult Friday in which he was eighth in first practice and seventh in second practice. Piastri said: "Not massively. I think in today's F1, there's never anything you can do to turn the car completely upside down, so we'll try and find something for sure, because we need to. But yeah, I don't have any great ideas."

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says managing traffic to deliver a proper out lap and a clean push lap will be the key to qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix. Vasseur said: "I think it will be the key for tomorrow, to be able to do a proper out lap, to arrive in the right window, and to do a clean lap. It will be a challenge and I was not expecting that it would be an easy life."

Aston Martin ambassador and Formula 1 representative Pedro de la Rosa said an unresolved downshift-related problem left the team with a “very, very unpredictable” car for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll during practice for the Monaco Grand Prix. De la Rosa said: "The reality is that the conditions were difficult and we found a very, very unpredictable car today, although we have done our best in trying to give them the most predictable of the cars, the downshifts. There's still a lot of work to be done tonight. Tomorrow is Saturday, free practice is for improving and understanding the biggest issues, but definitely we need to make a step forward tomorrow."

Charles Leclerc says Ferrari’s simulator has been “working very well” for him and he will keep using it, after team-mate Lewis Hamilton raised doubts about how well it reflects the car’s behaviour on track. Leclerc said: "At the end, I think we all have our preferences. For me, the simulator has been working very well. This is what I've done since arriving in Formula 1. I'm not going to change that because it's been a very powerful tool for me in the past. Also, very often we do changes on the car based on what we try on the simulator back at home, so it's part of the developing process of the car. Yeah, it works for me, so I'll keep going there."

Max Verstappen says he already has “ideas” about who he would like to replace Gianpiero Lambiase as his race engineer at Red Bull, but believes it is still too early to make any change. Red Bull has announced Lambiase will leave in 2028 to join McLaren. Verstappen said: "That does go step by step. I do have ideas about who I want. He's also around within the team, so it will just happen gradually. But not at the moment. I think it's also a little too early for that. Of course, it is logical that at some point, somewhere at the end of the year, that will slowly change."

Mercedes Formula 1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff said he was “very positively surprised” by Kimi Antonelli’s pace after the Italian topped third practice for the Monaco Grand Prix. Wolff said: "That was a good session for Kimi, fast. Now we just need to continue to build for qualifying. Leclerc's lap before he made a mistake in Turn 10 was there or thereabouts, so it's still not going to be a walk in the park but we are very positively surprised."

Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar says getting through Q1 in Monaco qualifying is a “survival game”, with traffic and keeping out of trouble more important than outright performance. Hadjar said: "It doesn't matter if the tyre is a lap or two laps old, we have a car that puts us into Q3 easily. It doesn't matter if the lap is crappy as well. So Q1 is more of a survival game, it's not about perfection. From Q2, you start building the pace properly."

Max Verstappen says his main Formula 1 career ambitions have already been fulfilled and he is now targeting “smaller achievements”, including winning with Red Bull’s own power unit, speaking ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. Max Verstappen said: "I would like, of course, to win a championship again. But no—there's no real bucket list. The main ones have all been completed. What I want now are smaller achievements—like achieving a win on our own power units, stuff like that."

Max Verstappen says he will not dive into Red Bull’s hospitality swimming pool at Monaco after recalling an incident from last year that put him off the tradition. Verstappen said: "So last year, I saw a guy literally take his socks off, right? And you know sometimes when you have socks, they leave behind the residue, the little blue fluff or whatever? He put his feet in the water, with the fluff on his feet. So if you win, good luck. I will be watching you, but I'm not jumping in the water."

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says George Russell can “never” be written off ahead of Monaco Grand Prix qualifying, after Russell ended final practice fourth and seven tenths behind pace-setting team-mate Kimi Antonelli. Wolff said: "I think with George you can never write him off. He's going to look at the data, he still didn't feel 100 per cent confident or comfortable in the car in the way that Kimi did, so I'm quite keen to see how the two are going to be in qualifying."



Alpine and Williams have been fined by the Monaco Grand Prix stewards after their drivers exceeded the pit-lane speed limit during final practice. Alpine was handed a €900 fine after Franco Colapinto was clocked at 68.9kph in the 60kph zone, while Williams received a €100 fine after Alex Albon was recorded at 60.2kph.

Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore said the team’s title partnership with Gucci from 2027 will be “perfect” for its future, as the fashion house replaces BWT as the Enstone outfit’s main sponsor. Briatore said: "I want to as well say thank you to BWT. We have an incredible relationship with Andreas [Weissenbacher, CEO of BWT] and with all the group at BWT. But the position of the team I want to [have], I believe, for growing very quickly, for the image, for as well financially, the deal with Gucci was perfect. It was a really super deal."


Kimi Antonelli ended Ferrari's run at the top in Monaco as he set the fastest lap of the session for Mercedes.






P1) Kimi Antonelli - 1:12.720 P2) Charles Leclerc: +0.327 P3) Lewis Hamilton: +0.331 P4) George Russell: +0.763 P5) Max Verstappen: +0.942 P6) Oscar Piastri: +0.978 P7) Gabriel Bortoleto: +1.100 P8) Isack Hadjar: +1.157 P9) Lando Norris: +1.286 P10) Nico Hulkenberg: +1.330 P11) Esteban Ocon: +1.558 P12) Carlos Sainz Jnr: +1.616 P13) Pierre Gasly: +1.760 P14) Oliver Bearman: +1.767 P15) Liam Lawson: +1.867 P16) Alexander Albon: +2.081 P17) Arvid Lindblad: +2.198 P18) Sergio Perez: +2.225 P19) Franco Colapinto: +2.459 P20) Valtteri Bottas: +2.731 P21) Fernando Alonso: +2.847 P22) Lance Stroll: +3.201


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