Red Bull driver Max Verstappen topped a tight second practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix on Friday afternoon, lapping marginally quicker than Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz – the latter crashing out in the closing stages.
Given that qualifying – and track position – is so important on the tight and twisty streets of Monte Carlo, FP2 brought plenty of one-lap action, initially on the medium and hard tyres before a move to the soft compound for the first time this weekend.
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Having led the way in the early stages of the session with a strong medium-shod lap, Verstappen maintained his P1 spot on softs by pumping in a time of 1m 12.462s, putting him 0.065s clear of Leclerc, with Sainz a few hundredths further back.
However, a promising session for the Scuderia ended on a sour note when Sainz thumped the right-hand side wall at Turn 15, hopped over the kerbs and slid into the barriers on the exit of Turn 16, damaging his car and bringing out the red flags.