Charles Leclerc was fastest in the first practice at the Monaco Grand Prix. He kept saying that his Ferrari was not working well.
Leclerc won this race at home for the first time last year. He said that Ferrari was "nowhere" and that "something is wrong with the car."
But he still finished the session 0.163 seconds faster than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Lando Norris from McLaren was third, 0.326 seconds behind. Alex Albon from Williams was fourth, and Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, was fifth.
Leclerc did not seem hopeful about Ferrari’s chances in Monaco. He had a tough session.
At the start, he went off the track at Mirabeau on his first lap. Then he hit the back of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin at the Loews hairpin. Stroll moved into Leclerc’s path while going slow.
Leclerc’s front wing got damaged but he kept going. Stroll had to stop because his car’s rear suspension was broken. He also needed a new gearbox.
Lewis Hamilton almost had a big crash too. He hit the inside wall at the exit of the Swimming Pool and bounced over the kerbs in the run-off area.
Hamilton ended the session in ninth place. He was behind George Russell, Carlos Sainz, and Pierre Gasly.
The top 10 was finished by Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin. This weekend, the team had a new technical partner, Adrian Newey, watching from the garage.
Both Norris and Piastri hit barriers but did not damage their cars. Norris also went off the track at Sainte Devote.
Teams used many types of tyres during the session. They want to find the best way to race. This race needs two pit stops because of a new rule for this weekend only.