Verstappen clocks second fastest time in Monaco practice, Leclerc leads for home fans

Max Verstappen secured the second fastest time in the first practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix. Local favorite Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) topped the timesheets in front of his home crowd.

Leclerc had a rocky start to the session, crashing after a collision with Aston Martin's Lance Stroll. The incident caused significant damage to Leclerc's front wing, but he was able to continue, while Stroll had to retire from the session.

Verstappen, who won last week's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, is closing the gap to McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the championship standings. The McLaren duo finished third and fifth respectively in today's practice.

This season, Monaco is experimenting with a mandatory second pit stop to make the race more exciting, as overtaking is notoriously difficult on the tight street circuit.

The second free practice session is scheduled for 17:00 today, with qualifying tomorrow at 16:00 and the race on Sunday at 15:00.