Mercedes F1 star Kimi Antonelli topped the timesheets during FP3 at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend as a crash disrupted the final hour of practice around the principality.
Ferrari dominated Friday's track action with Charles Leclerc setting the fastest time in FP1 and Lewis Hamilton going fastest in FP2. But come Saturday, it was 19-year-old championship leader Antonelli who went fastest.
Antonelli was back with a bang and looked mighty during the final practice following a forgettable Friday for the Italian teenager, with his team-mate George Russell finishing FP3 down in fourth.
After finishing P3 in both of Friday's sessions, Max Verstappen posted the fifth-fastest time in his Red Bull on Saturday, with McLaren flailing in the midfield as the Silver Arrows look to be the biggest threat to the Scuderia's dreams of victory in Monte Carlo.
With 15 minutes to go in FP3, Ollie Bearman triggered a red flag after crashing at Massenet on the hill towards Casino Square, losing a rear wing in the process. The British racer apologised over team radio, taking responsibility for the incident caused by driver error, but the Haas mechanics will be up against the clock to repair his car before qualifying later on Saturday.
The session restart was then delayed as the FIA Race Director inspected the guard rail damage as a result of Bearman's crash, with the resumption time of 13:26 CEST leaving less than four minutes remaining.
This caused a chaotic restart but an ideal qualifying simulation for the drivers and teams, although home hero Leclerc didn't seem too pleased, complaining over team radio of having to deal with 'horrendous' tyres as a result. Nevertheless, the Monegasque driver finished the session second-fastest, ahead of Hamilton.
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Monaco Grand Prix FP3 times
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:12.720 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.327 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.331 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.763 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.942 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.978 |
| 7 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.100 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +1.157 |
| 9 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +1.286 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1.330 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.558 |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1.616 |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.760 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.767 |
| 15 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.867 |
| 16 | Alex Albon | Williams | +2.081 |
| 17 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +2.198 |
| 18 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +2.225 |
| 19 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +2.459 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +2.731 |
| 21 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +2.847 |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +3.201 |
Is there F1 today?
Yes, following the final hour of practice, arguably the most important qualifying of the season will take place on Saturday, June 6 at 4pm local time (CEST) which is 3pm BST.
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