Ferrari dominates Monaco practice again as Norris hits trouble

In a reversal from FP1, it was Lewis Hamilton who topped the timesheets in FP2 with a best lap of 1m13.026s, the fastest lap of the weekend so far, finishing 0.111s clear of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

Max Verstappen was much closer to Ferrari than he had been earlier in the day, ending the session third and only 0.168s adrift of Hamilton’s benchmark after a strong qualifying simulation on soft tyres.

Mercedes again occupied fourth and fifth positions, although this time George Russell led teammate Kimi Antonelli, while Isack Hadjar recovered from his FP1 crash to finish an encouraging sixth.

Oscar Piastri was seventh for McLaren, just over a second off the pace, but attention centred on teammate Norris after the reigning world champion suffered an apparent technical problem that curtailed his running.

The British driver slowed exiting the tunnel about 10 minutes into the session before coming to a halt near the Nouvelle Chicane.

The McLaren appeared to suffer a technical issue as Norris attempted to downshift under braking, forcing him to park the car trackside and triggering a virtual safety car while marshals recovered the stranded machine.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown said on the Sky Sports broadcast that he wasn’t sure the specific nature of the issue, and it would be investigated ahead of running on Saturday.

⚠️ VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR ⚠️

NOOO! Lando Norris has stopped on track in his McLaren at the Nouvelle Chicane 😮#F1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/tRvu1txM2R

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 5, 2026

The session started under bright and sunny conditions, with Verstappen initially setting the pace before the Ferrari pair quickly moved to the front of the field.

Leclerc established the early benchmark on medium tyres as teams worked through their opening programs, while Hamilton remained firmly in contention throughout the first half of the session.

Hadjar, whose Racing Bulls machine was still being prepared shortly before the session started following his FP1 accident, eventually joined the action and steadily rebuilt confidence around the circuit.

After the brief VSC due to the Norris incident, Ferrari continued to stamp its authority on the session.

Leclerc lowered the benchmark to a 1m13.613s on medium tyres before Hamilton edged ahead with a 1m13.729s as the circuit conditions improved.

Attention then turned to the traditional Monaco qualifying simulations as teams switched to soft tyres during the final half-hour.

Verstappen briefly moved to the top with a 1m13.467s, while Russell threatened to challenge but lost time in traffic on one of his better attempts.

Leclerc responded with a 1m13.137s to reclaim first place before Hamilton delivered the decisive lap of the session, producing a 1m13.026s that none of his rivals could match.

Verstappen improved late in the session to cement third position, while Russell and Antonelli completed lengthy runs on the same set of soft tyres.

Piastri had a small scare in the session, surviving a brush with the barriers approaching Portier during one of his quicker laps.

Elsewhere, several drivers flirted with trouble as grip levels continued to evolve.

Franco Colapinto clipped the barriers at Sainte Devote but escaped with only minor damage, while Lance Stroll endured a number of lock-ups throughout the session.

Hamilton himself suffered a heavy front-left lock-up at the Nouvelle Chicane during a long run before returning to the pits for adjustments.

A late red flag interrupted the closing stages when Sergio Perez’s Cadillac ground to a halt at Casino Square with smoke pouring from the front-right brake assembly.

The stoppage effectively ended meaningful running, with the session restarting only briefly in the final minute to allow teams to conduct practice starts.

Behind the leading runners, Nico Hulkenberg was once again in the top 10, finishing in eighth for Audi, with teammate Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth, giving the German manufacturer both cars inside the top 10.

Oliver Bearman rounded out the top 10 for Haas ahead of Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, while Arvid Lindblad, Colapinto, Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon completed the midfield order.

Perez finished 18th after his late stoppage, with Norris, Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas and Stroll rounding out the field.

Cars return to the streets of Monte Carlo for third practice at 12.30pm local time Saturday (8.30pm AEST).

Results: Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, Free Practice 2