F1: Hamilton Fastest in FP1 while Alonso Tops FP2

Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time at the first practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix as the two Mercedes cars were separated by just 0.032s. With overcast conditions, Hamilton topped the time charts by posting a 1:18.271. Daniel Ricciardo was third quickest while Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest for Ferrari setting a best time of 1:18.930 to beat Sebastian Vettel by just over 0.1s.

Kimi Raikkonen was sixth while Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg rounded up the top ten.

In the hour prior to FP2, heavy precipitation and hail soaked the track, and largely overcast conditions ensured it stayed that way. Most of the teams deemed it too much of a risk to run on the street circuit in such conditions and so there were hardly any cars on the track for the first half hour.

Drivers finally came out on slick tyres and the final ten minutes saw them switch to supersofts and then the times started plummeting. Alonso put on his best and went fastest with 1:18.482 which he set on his final lap.

Alonso was over 0.4s clear of FP1 pacesetter Lewis Hamilton, while Sebastian Vettel was third quickest for Red Bull, half a second off the pace set by Alonso.

Kimi Raikkonen faced gearbox issues which saw him move to the pits after just 4 laps. Fourth was Jean-Eric Vergne while it was Valtteri Bottas who came in fifth. Free Practice 3 and Qualification kicks off tomorrow and we will get you the latest from Monaco.