Max opens Monaco weekend in third

Published on 25 May 2017 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen clocked the third fastest time in the first practice session of the Monaco GP. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) were fastest, with the Brit on top.

At the start of the session, several things stand out. First, Red Bull Racing and Force India are sporting the T-wings for the time this season. Meanwhile, we see a familiar face in the McLaren pits with Jenson Button replacing Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard has opted to contest the Indy 500 instead of the Monaco GP.

After twenty minutes, Riccardo leads the way ahead of Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and Max. However, the 18-year-old youngster loses valuable track time as he’s called into the pits with a suspected rear right puncture. Upon investigation the team identify a broken floor. Max is sidelined while his mechanics repair the RB13.

With half an hour to go, Max heads out to make up for lost time. He shows confidence as he keeps improving on his lap times, eventually setting the third fastest time behind Hamilton and Vettel. In his quickest effort, he is the fastest driver in the final sector.

In the closing stages, Max locks a wheel coming out of the tunnel. The Dutchman does not take any risks and cuts the Nouvelle Chicane. In the end, he lapped the street circuit 32 times, setting the third fastest time, three tenths shy of Hamilton’s quickest effort.

Monaco GP - Monte Carlo - Thursday 25 May

FREE PRACTICE 1 RESULTS

01 44 Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes                    1:13.425          40
02  5 Sebastian Vettel    Ferrari                     1:13.621 +0.196s  34
03 33 Max Verstappen      Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:13.771 +0.346s  32
04 77 Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes                    1:13.791 +0.366s  40
05  3 Daniel Ricciardo    Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:13.854 +0.429s  45
06 26 Daniil Kvyat        Toro Rosso                  1:14.111 +0.686s  42
07  7 Kimi Raikkonen      Ferrari                     1:14.164 +0.739s  37
08 11 Sergio Perez        Force India Mercedes        1:14.201 +0.776s  32
09 55 Carlos Sainz        Toro Rosso                  1:14.333 +0.908s  39
10 31 Esteban Ocon        Force India Mercedes        1:14.425 +1.000s  39
11 19 Felipe Massa        Williams Mercedes           1:14.617 +1.192s  37
12  2 Stoffel Vandoorne   McLaren Honda               1:14.813 +1.388s  38
13 20 Kevin Magnussen     Haas Ferrari                1:14.870 +1.445s  34
14 22 Jenson Button       McLaren Honda               1:14.954 +1.529s  35
15  8 Romain Grosjean     Haas Ferrari                1:15.321 +1.896s  33
16 18 Lance Stroll        Williams Mercedes           1:15.595 +2.170s  44
17 30 Jolyon Palmer       Renault                     1:15.949 +2.524s  42
18 94 Pascal Wehrlein     Sauber Ferrari              1:16.258 +2.833s  33
19 27 Nico Hulkenberg     Renault                                        3
20  9 Marcus Ericsson     Sauber Ferrari                                 3 

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