Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent in Monaco

Image source, Getty Images

Charles Leclerc led Lewis Hamilton to a Ferrari one-two in first practice at the Monaco Grand Prix as Isack Hadjar crashed his Red Bull.

Leclerc was 0.226 seconds quicker than Hamilton, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen 0.513secs off the pace in third place, ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

Hadjar lost control on the entry to the second Swimming Pool chicane, the rear swinging around on entry and spinning him into the barriers on the exit.

And Fernando Alonso rescued what could have been a high-speed crash at the harbour front chicane in his Aston Martin.

Read the full report here

Image source, Getty Images

Keep your Monaco messages coming in, folks, as we'll continue the Monte Carlo travel guide in second practice. And like Mark has done, you can now add a picture to your message when you select the 'get involved' button. Nifty.

The opening session was punctured by two red flags, with Red Bull's Isack Hadar and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso both crashing out. So there's work to do up and down the pit lane during the break.

Ferrari are looking strong already, with a sizeable gap to the rest of their rivals. But the weekend is still young, so there's still time to find performance before the all-important qualifying session tomorrow.

Let's disembark the superyacht, have a stretch and grab a break, and then come back together at 15:45 BST for a 16:00 start for second practice.

See you shortly!

Mark: Went to Monaco for the first time last year, it was amazing! Sat near Tabac with an amazing view in Grandstand K, such gorgeous weather. Stayed in Nice for the week, so so amazing! Oh and met James Vowles Saturday evening….

Joanna: Saw Formula E and F1 in Monaco - fabulous place to watch racing, best days ever. May 2019

Graham: Been to Monaco GP five times and to this year’s historic event. Most atmospheric and enjoyable location - great to see drivers working so hard, see cars up close and feel F1 history everywhere. So what if overtaking is limited/zero - driver skills on display lap after lap.

Image source, Mark Tranter

In the break between practice sessions, have a listen to the Chequered Flag podcast's race preview, as Rosanna Tennant is joined by Damon Hill, Jolyon Palmer, Harry Benjamin and Andrew Benson to tackle the big talking points heading into the race weekend.

11. Alex Albon (Williams)

12. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

13. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)

14. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)

15. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

16. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

17. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

18. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)

19. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

20. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

21. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)

22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:13.978

2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.226

3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.513

4. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.559

5. George Russell (Mercedes) +1.005

6. Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.313

7. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) +1.365

8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +1.587

9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +1.772

10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.850

Fernando Alonso gingerly makes it back to the pit lane where Aston Martin will need to perform some surgery on his front wing.

The are only a few moments left in this session, so a few cars are heading out to quickly soak up the final moments of the session.

Alonso hits wallpublished at 13:28 BST

13:28 BST

Oscar Piastri, eighth on the timesheets, gives a wave to a Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad after being held up by the rookie.

The red flag is shown once again for debris on track. It's for Fernando Alonso this time, who exits the tunnel and smacks the wall, causing damage to his Aston Martin.

Will it be a Ferrari one-two this weekend? The Italian team is most people's pick for the win, and both their drivers lead the timesheets with five monutes to go.

Charles Leclerc has beaten Lewis Hamilton's best marker by 0.226 seconds to sit top on his home turf.

Charles Leclerc has locked up again - quite a few drivers are struggling to get to grips with these 2026 cars and the test Monte Carlo presents.

Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, completes his latest flyer and goes quickest with a 1:14.204 on the mediums.

Excellent, folks. Keep your memories/Monaco race recommendations coming. If you've been on a yacht in the harbour, we want to hear from you!

Red Bull answer the phone to Max Verstappen, who is annoyed with the handling of his car. The Dutchman peppers his information with a few naughty words, just to hammer home the point.

Sid: Had a flying day trip to Monaco in 1983. Saw Keke Rosberg win from a seat near the swimming poll. And travelled down at Mach 2 on Concorde…

Nicholas: I was at Portier in 2002 when DC won the GP. At the time, I described the noise as "if hell was opening up"... just incredible V10s.

Mark: Having been before, I would go again but not buy a ticket. Off the start-finish straight are some nice small avenues with some nice little resteraunts. Sit there enjoying the sounds & watch on the TV or phone.

Image source, Getty Images

While Isack Hadjar and Red Bull assess the damage to his car, the rest of the field head back out on track. Kimi Antonelli is quickest, Charles Leclerc is second, but the Monegasque driver has taken on a set of medium tyres now.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown tells Sky Sports he thinks the team can be competitive this weekend but Ferrari and constructors' leaders Mercedes are the two teams to beat in Monaco.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent in Monaco

The rear looked unstable as Hadjar came out of the first part of the swimming pool chicane. The entry is so difficult to judge. The second part has become the place where people will crash in Monaco.

Postpublished at 13:13 BST

13:13 BST

It's a scenic walk for Isack Hadjar - and there's 5 Live's Rosanna Tennant in the background of the TV coverage. The marshals are clearing up the last of the debris, so we'll be back under way shortly.

Hadjar out of first practicepublished at 13:10 BST

13:10 BST

Lando Norris had a similar moment to Isack Hadjar a few laps earlier but the world champion managed to save his car from a hefty hit. Hadjar is making his way back to the garage now, his Red Bull in need of some serious TLC.

Image source, Getty Images

Red flagpublished at 13:06 BST

13:06 BST

Isack Hadjar has gone into the wall at the exit of the swimming pool chicane.

The Frenchman's Red Bull is in a bit of mess after a sliding across the kerb and smacking the barriers. He's climbing safely out of his car, and the crowd give him a cheer. Here comes the crane to rescue the car.

Work is going on down at Ferrari to Lewis Hamilton's car. The mechanics are tweaking the seven-time world champion's set-up and should be back out shortly.

Kimi Antonelli goes for a flying lap on his medium tyres and the Italian teenager jumps above the Ferrari of home driver Charles Leclerc, who set his fastest marker on the hards, with a 1:14.537.

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:14.928

2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.182

3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.508

4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.982

5. Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.088