Monaco FP1: A flying start for Leclerc at his home race

Charles Leclerc increased the hype for the Monaco Grand Prix weekend as the local lad set the pace in Friday’s first practice ahead of Sergio Perez.

Born in Monaco, Leclerc has never seen the chequered flag at his home race, never mind win it. This year, he is the favourite along with Max Verstappen.

The Ferrari driver made his mark in Friday’s opening practice, a 1:14.531 putting him ahead of Perez and Carlos Sainz. The gap between the trio, though, was only 0.07s.

Unfortunately for Mercedes, both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton reported “crazy” porpoising as they finished P8 and P10.

And they weren’t the only drivers complaining about the ride quality of the all-new cars on the tight, twisty street circuit.

At the end of a hot #FP1 it’s @Charles_Leclerc @ScuderiaFerrari who goes fastest. He’ll be aiming to break his home race jinx, never having finished the #MonacoGP (or any support race in Monaco) before. #Fit4F1 pic.twitter.com/6IlMqqg8Xu

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) May 27, 2022

Despite concerns of rain, Formula 1 could not have asked for better weather for the start of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

While the majority of the field ventured out on the hard Pirellis, Ferrari were straight onto the mediums with Leclerc quickest after 10 minutes with a 1:16.157.

It was a more difficult start to the session for his team-mate Sainz who was complaining that the ride is “terrible, very bad”. Russell also wasn’t happy, reporting porpoising with Hamilton adding that there is an “incredible amount of bouncing”.

Leclerc was P1 after the opening 15 minutes, a 1:15.883 compared to Verstappen’s 1:15.933 on the hard tyres. Sainz was up to third ahead of Lando Norris, the Briton having missed Friday’s driver press