Mercedes has been fined €100 after George Russell was caught marginally exceeding the pit-lane speed limit during first practice for the Monaco Grand Prix. The FIA said Russell breached the 60km/h limit by 0.3km/h, which is an offence under Article B1.6.3a of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.

Aston Martin Formula 1 ambassador Pedro de la Rosa said he does not yet know whether Fernando Alonso’s Monaco Grand Prix FP1 crash was triggered by the “random downshifts” Alonso has complained about, but admitted the AMR26 is still too difficult to drive. De la Rosa said: "We're working very hard, but definitely looking at what happened to Fernando, I don't know if it was braking, locking or downshifting first. I don't care about that. The car is still too difficult to drive, so we still have to work a lot more."

Charles Leclerc has been given a formal warning by the Monaco Grand Prix stewards for impeding Liam Lawson in FP1. The stewards said the incident was caused by a misunderstanding over Ferrari’s radio message about the gaps to Oliver Bearman and Lawson, concluding: “This misunderstanding was ultimately responsible for the unnecessary impeding.” Ferrari told the stewards it would “revise its communication protocols to minimise the future risk of misunderstandings”.


Sergio Perez says his return to Formula 1 with Cadillac has helped erase the self-doubt he felt during his final months at Red Bull, insisting he has proved to himself he is still “one of the best” drivers. Perez said: "Obviously, when you look at my last six months at Red Bull, you wouldn't think that I'm one of the best out there. But when you understand the circumstances I was in at that point, when you see the level of performance that I'm putting in with my team, you realise that I'm one of the best out there. At the end of the day, you require the right circumstances to be able to show your talent."

Helmut Marko says “the only hope” of stopping Mercedes dominating the season is for George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli to “tear each other apart”, after the pair won all five races so far. Marko said: "Although I find it very refreshing how the young Antonelli lets the car fly. But Russell is the experienced one, who will also strike back. That they tear each other apart in the process is the only hope. Otherwise Mercedes is gone."

Carlos Sainz says his priority is to stay with Williams and make its long-term project work, even though delays to the team’s 2026 car have contributed to a slower start to the season than expected. Sainz said: "I know I obviously need to take a decision this year about my future but at the same time, I made it very clear to Williams and to my management team that my priority is to make this project work. When I did the commitment a couple of years ago to come here, it was with the commitment of trying to make this work and I wish we can do that."

Lewis Hamilton says his first visit to Monaco as a 13-year-old kart racer was an “eye-opening” experience that showed him what was possible and sparked his dream of living in the Principality. Hamilton said: "He invited me to go to his home, so I remember getting on his dad's plane, his jet at the time, and I was like, 'Crap, I didn't even know they had private jets.' It was the most unbelievable, eye-opening experience. We landed, and his dad had a helicopter standing next to it, and I was thinking, 'this is like James Bond stuff!' I remember seeing the view, and at 13 I thought, 'I've never seen anything like this'. And that became my dream: one day I'm going to live in a place like this."

Charles Leclerc says he had offers from rival teams before signing his new multi-year Ferrari contract extension, but that staying with the Scuderia was “always the choice”. Leclerc said: "There were, yes. No, I'm not going to say. They can say it if they want. But yeah, for me, Ferrari was always the choice."



Nico Hulkenberg says Audi have “a lot of room for improvement” in key areas as the manufacturer’s inaugural Formula 1 season continues. Hulkenberg said: "A lot of things to work on, improve on, power, drivability. So, you know, in every aspect, we have a lot of room for improvement."

George Russell says the Monaco Grand Prix will be “more on the limit” this year because Formula 1’s 2026 regulation change has produced lighter, more nimble cars that can be pushed harder on street circuits. Russell said: "Last year's cars were so big, they were so heavy, and they were so stiff as well that every single bump you'd feel and it could step the rear end out of the corner, you could lock up easier and veer off into the wall. Whereas this feels more like a race car, it is more intuitive to drive... when you come to these challenging street tracks, I think actually you'll be able to push the cars more to the limit, and that's more enjoyable."

Haas team-mates Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon traded complaints about traffic in Monaco practice, with Bearman calling Ocon an “idiot” on the radio after being overtaken at the final corner. Ocon had earlier said Bearman had compromised him twice, complaining: “He doesn’t have to fuck my laps twice as well,” before Bearman said: “What an idiot, man… That was so stupid from Esteban.” They finished 16th and 17th, Bearman 0.041s quicker.

Williams team principal James Vowles says the team will take legal action over what he described as “false” claims reported in the UK media, following a Guardian report on a dispute involving former executive Claudia Schwarz. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Vowles said: “Those claims are false for a start, and they will be fought in a court of law, which is where they should be at this point in time,” adding: “They are misleading.”


Charles Leclerc has been placed under investigation by the FIA stewards for allegedly impeding Liam Lawson during first practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, meaning a second stewards’ visit of the day. Leclerc had already been summoned before the session for arriving late to Thursday’s press conference, with Ferrari and McLaren each fined €5,000 suspended for 12 months unless repeated. Rookie Arvid Lindblad has also been called to the stewards after being investigated for impeding Oscar Piastri in FP1.

Liam Lawson has been summoned to the stewards after a pitlane breach at the end of Monaco GP first practice. With the session briefly red-flagged for debris after Fernando Alonso’s collision, cars later went back out for practice starts, but Lawson moved past the pit exit after the red light was shown. The Racing Bulls driver will explain the incident to the stewards ahead of FP2 later today.


Charles Leclerc topped the opening practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix for Ferrari.





P1) Charles Leclerc - 1:13.978 P2) Lewis Hamilton: +0.226 P3) Max Verstappen: +0.513 P4) Kimi Antonelli: +0.559 P5) George Russell: +1.005 P6) Lando Norris: +1.313 P7) Nico Hulkenberg: +1.365 P8) Oscar Piastri: +1.587 P9) Gabriel Bortoleto: +1.772 P10) Pierre Gasly: +1.850 P11) Alexander Albon: +2.011 P12) Carlos Sainz Jnr: +2.063 P13) Isack Hadjar: +2.170 P14) Sergio Perez: +2.192 P15) Franco Colapinto: +2.211 P16) Oliver Bearman: +2.314 P17) Esteban Ocon: +2.355 P18) Arvid Lindblad: +2.411 P19) Liam Lawson: +2.453 P20) Fernando Alonso: +2.700 P21) Valtteri Bottas: +3.482 P22) Lance Stroll: +3.578



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