Mercedes driver beats Leclerc and Hamilton in the final free practice before qualifying; Brazilian Audi driver finishes among the ten fastest in Monte Carlo
Read more Márquez beats Acosta to claim MotoGP pole in Hungary
Kimi Antonelli was the fastest in the third and final free practice for the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, held this Saturday morning (6). The Mercedes driver recorded 1min12s720 and ended the session in the lead, opening a considerable advantage over Charles Leclerc’s and Lewis Hamilton’s Ferraris, who finished second and third, respectively.
George Russell completed Mercedes’ strong performance by finishing in fourth place, while Max Verstappen put Red Bull in fifth position. Oscar Piastri was sixth with McLaren, followed by Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar, Lando Norris, and Nico Hulkenberg, who completed the top 10 of the final practice before qualifying, which defines the starting grid for this Sunday’s race.
The session began with a scenario similar to what was seen on Friday, when Ferrari dominated both activities of the day. Charles Leclerc, winner of FP1, and Lewis Hamilton, leader of FP2, reappeared among the top contenders in the initial minutes. The Briton was one of the first to set a competitive lap and even took the provisional lead with more than seven tenths of an advantage over Leclerc.
Shortly after, the battle also involved Mercedes and Red Bull. George Russell put his car at the front with 1min13s902, before Leclerc responded with 1min13s748. Antonelli, who arrived in the Principality boosted by four consecutive victories and a comfortable championship lead, quickly entered the fray and took first position with 1min13s374.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Bortoleto had a consistent session. The Brazilian gradually started gaining positions and appeared in provisional fourth place in the first few minutes, showing a competitive pace. Unlike what happened on Friday, when he repeatedly complained about gearbox synchronization, the Audi driver did not report any radio problems for most of the activity.
The track evolution and the use of soft tires caused times to drop significantly in the second half of the session. Leclerc regained the lead with 1min13s355, Russell responded with a lap just 0s128 slower, and Antonelli returned to the top shortly after. Verstappen also climbed the standings and began to frequent the top 5, while Oscar Piastri placed McLaren among the frontrunners.
Bortoleto followed this evolution. The Brazilian dropped to 1min14s129 and appeared in sixth place, significantly reducing the gap to Hulkenberg. Shortly after, he recorded 1min13s820 and jumped to fifth position, momentarily ahead of drivers like Verstappen, Piastri, and Hadjar.
The decisive moment of the session happened about fifteen minutes from the end. Oliver Bearman lost control of his Haas at Turn 3 by putting the car onto the dirty part of the track while avoiding George Russell. The Briton spun and hit the guardrail hard, causing an immediate red flag.
The replay showed Bearman running wide to the outside of the corner, where he found less grip. Over the radio, the driver explained that the car hit the ground on a bump and became unstable before the impact. Despite significant damage to the car, he emerged unharmed and was taken to the medical center only as a precaution.
Read more MotoGP: Check out the starting grid for the Hungarian GP
The interruption compromised the plans of practically all teams. As the clock continues to run during red flags in free practice, only a few minutes remained for an effective resumption of activity. The track was cleared with less than four minutes remaining, insufficient time for drivers to complete the ideal tire warm-up cycle and make new fast attempts.
As a result, the standings remained practically unchanged until the checkered flag. Antonelli confirmed the lead with 1min12s720, followed by Leclerc and Hamilton. Russell was fourth, Verstappen finished fifth, and Piastri sixth.
Bortoleto closed the activity in seventh place, consolidating another positive session for Audi in Monte Carlo. Hadjar, Norris, and Hülkenberg completed the top ten.
The result reinforces the impression that the battle for pole position should be concentrated between Mercedes and Ferrari. After a Friday dominated by the Italian team, Mercedes found enough performance to take command in the final free practice and arrives at qualifying as a strong candidate for pole.
For Audi, the weekend also remains promising. On a low-speed circuit, where the power deficiency of the package seems less evident, the team managed to keep both cars within the top 10 during preparation. Bortoleto finished among the ten fastest in all sessions of the weekend, while Hulkenberg also showed consistent competitiveness. The challenge now will be to transform this performance into results, especially in qualifying and at the start, two moments that have been critical points for the team throughout the season.
On Friday, Ferrari had dominated the activities with Charles Leclerc leading FP1 and Lewis Hamilton finishing FP2 in first position. Mercedes responded at the most important moment of preparation by putting Antonelli at the top of FP3, leaving open the expectation for one of the most balanced qualifying sessions of the season on the streets of the Principality.
Qualifying, which defines the starting grid for the 2026 Monaco GP, takes place this Saturday (6) at 11 AM, Brasília time. Follow LIVE in REAL TIME on F1MANIA.NET.
Check out the results of FP3 for the 2026 Monaco GP:
1) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1’12.720
2) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 1’13.047
3) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 1’13.051
4) George Russell (Mercedes), 1’13.483
5) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’13.662
6) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’13.698
7) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), 1’13.820
8) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’13.877
9) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’14.006
10) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), 1’14.050
11) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari), 1’14.278
12) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes), 1’14.336
13) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’14.480
14) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari), 1’14.487
15) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’14.587
16) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes), 1’14.801
17) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’14.918
18) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’14.945
19) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’15.179
20) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’15.451
21) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Honda), 1’15.567
22) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Honda), 1’15.921
Read more F3: Check the championship standings after the Sprint in Monaco
