F1-EL1: Lewis Hamilton at the forefront in Monaco

A few hours after formalizing its extension with the stable Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton had the best time of the first free practice session in Monaco. The driver of the No. 06 W44 Hybrid was the fastest this morning, on a track which dried out over the course of the session, after the rains overnight. Several drivers also made mistakes at the first turn in the Ste Dévote escape route, including Alonso (McLaren), Grosjean (Lotus), or even Ricciardo.

The Briton completed a best lap in 1’18”750 (compared to last year’s 1’18”271 in FP1) and is ahead of Dutch Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso) who came to climb into second position at 149 thousandths in the last seconds of the session, he who discovered this route. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) takes third place ahead of first Ferrari de Sebastian Vettel.

Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso) finished fifth ahead of the Lotus of Pastor Maldonado, Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull), Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari). Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) ranks ninth, after experiencing a small scare when hitting the barriers at the Tabac corner. The German was, however, able to continue his session. Felipe Massa (Williams) completes the top 10. Jenson Button (McLaren) finally took to the track after being immobilized in his pit for a long time during the session and set the 12th time.

The second free practice session will take place from 14 p.m.