#F1 #MonacoGP FP3: @CharlesLeclerc completes practice sweep as @LewisHamilton crashes.

Leclerc Monaco GP FP3 – Home favourite Charles Leclerc completed a practice clean sweep topping the FP3 session for Ferrari at the Monaco GP ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as Lando Norris completed out the top three for McLaren as the session ended under a red flag due to Sir Lewis Hamilton’s shunt at Casino Square.

Leclerc posted the session-topping benchmark of a 1:10.953 on the C6 red side-walled softer tyres and was 0.280 seconds clear of Verstappen’s effort on the mediums whilst Norris was a further 0.294 seconds off in third.

RB’s Liam Lawson like yesterday was once again the first to lead the pack out and take to the Circuit De Monaco and was running the C4 white-marked harder tyre.

The Kiwi came back in to the pits for a quick switch to the C6 red-walled softs whilst Argentine Franco Colapinto was the first to begin his flyer on the softs.

The Alpine driver was the first to register a lap time of a 1:21.905 and then a 1:15.852.

Lawson was next and posted a 1:16.075 to remain in second and then improved to P1 with a 1:15.171 and go 0.681 seconds quicker.

Colapinto then returned to the top with a 1:15.013 nine minutes into the session.

The other RB of Isack Hadjar slotted in third and 1.169 seconds down on Colapinto’s effort.

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was on his flyer and shot to the top with a 1:14.065 on the C5 yellow-branded medium compounds.

Hadjar then moved into second and 0.551 seconds off of Hulkenberg’s benchmark.

The other Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto slotted into third with his medium tyre effort and was 0.583 seconds off his German team-mate.

Hulkenberg once again improved on his hot-lap with a 1:13.916 to be 0.416 seconds faster.

Colapinto then jumped into third as Hadjar with two purples slotted into second to be a narrow 0.049 seconds off Hulkenberg’s benchmark.

Ferrari’s Sir Lewis Hamilton was next on the softs and with three personal bests moved up into second to be 0.023 seconds off Hulkenberg at the end of the opening 15 minutes of proceedings.

Home favourite Leclerc was next and slotted into sixth on his soft tyre effort and was 0.476 seconds adrift of Hulkenberg’s benchmark as the latter suffered a lock-up into La Rascasse and managed to escape hitting the barriers.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll them jumped to P1 with a 1:13.436 before being knocked off P1 by Hamilton’s 1:13.415, which was quickly beaten by McLaren’s Norris with a 1:12.970 and then Leclerc demoted the Briton to second on a 1:12.712.

Red Bull’s Verstappen followed on his medium tyre stint to be 0.375 adrift of the Monegasque driver in third and his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda move up into fourth.

Championship leader Piastri moved into sixth and 0.564 off Leclerc’s benchmark.

Stroll was back on another hot-lap to go second and 0.201 seconds off Leclerc with 39 minutes left on the clock.

Norris then moved back into P1 with a 1:12.347 effort to be 0.365 seconds faster than Leclerc as replays showed Hamilton almost impede Williams’ Carlos Sainz through Casino Square.

Piastri then slotted into third to be 0.423 seconds off his leading team-mate.

Hamilton with three personal bests moved up into second to be 0.279 seconds off whilst team-mate Leclerc with a purple opening sector and two personal bests shot back to the top with a 1:12.199 seconds with 36 minutes left of running.

Norris was next once more to pip Leclerc at the top by 0.073 seconds.

Mercedes’ George Russell then moved up into third whilst Verstappen on his mediums went even quicker to post a 1:11.961 to be 0.165 seconds quicker than Norris.

Piastri then slotted into fourth on his flyer and was 0.398 seconds off of Verstappen’s effort.

Tsunoda then slotted into second to be a narrow 0.095 seconds behind his team-mate until Verstappen once again improved to a 1:11.653 as Hamilton slotted into second and then Leclerc reclaimed top spot on the softs with a 1:11.532.

Verstappen was back on another flying tour and then snatched top spot on a 1:11.233.

Albon moved up into fourth as Mercedes’ Russell improved on his ninth spot in the order to be in seventh.

Leclerc then improved to be 0.224 seconds adrift of Verstappen in second ad Norris jumped into third.

The majority of drivers then returned to the pits with 22 minutes remaining for a brief lull on track as they prepared their setups once more before Parc Ferme kicks in at the end of the final practice session and going for another qualifying simulation run.

Hulkenberg on his soft tyre stint moved up into seventh and was 0.892 seconds off Verstappen’s medium tyre effort.

Verstappen was next on his qualifying simulation run with 18 minutes left on the clock and could not improved despite a purple sector one whilst Leclerc abandoned his flyer.

Sainz then jumped to sixth to be 0.660 seconds off Verstappen’s effort whilst Leclerc on his next flying lap remained in second and was also unable to improve like the reigning world champion.

Norris improved on his soft tyre run to be 0.246 off in third behind Verstappen and Leclerc.

Leclerc improved a fraction to be 0.211 off Verstappen on his hot-lap as Piastri then moved up into sixth then Hamilton with two personal bests jumped up a place into fourth on the classification.

The other Mercedes F1 W16 entry of Andrea Kimi Antonelli slotted in-front of his team-mate in ninth as McLaren’s Piastri with two personal bests and a middle purple got into second and be 0.172 seconds off Verstappen’s benchmark.

Leclerc then with two purples reclaimed P1 on a 1:11.179 to be a slim 0.054 seconds clear of Verstappen.

Norris then improved to go within 0.068 seconds off Leclerc’s benchmark but remained in third behind second-placed Verstappen.

Leclerc with less than three minutes left on the clock improved once more with a 1:10.953 to be 0.280 seconds quicker than Verstappen to complete a practice clean sweep in FP3 at his home Grand Prix.

The session ended under a red flag after Hamilton suffered a snap of oversteer travelling through Casino Square and hit the barrier with his right wheels. The seven-time world champion firstly hit the barrier with his rear right then his front right bringing his SF-25 racer to a stop.

The two McLaren’s followed with Norris third and Piastri fourth as the aforementioned Hamilton took fifth.

Williams duo Albon and Sainz were sixth and eighth respectively whilst Lawson slotted in seventh.

RB’s Tsunoda and Mercedes’ Antonelli completed the top ten.

You can see the full Formula 1 Tag Heuer Grand Prix De Monaco 2025 Free Practice 3 Results Classification at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2025/races/1261/monaco/practice/3

2025 F1 World Championship Standings