Mercedes already within half a second of 2015 pole position time on ultrasoft tyres; Felipe Massa and Jolyon Palmer crash out
Tuesday 31 May 2016 11:39, UK
Lewis Hamilton set a stunning pace to top the timesheets in first practice for the Monaco GP as Mercedes once again led the way.
The world champion's session-best lap of 1:15.537, set on the new ultrasofts tyres which are debuting this weekend in Monte Carlo, was within half a second of last year's pole position time and a tenth quicker than the best of team-mate Nico Rosberg.
After setting the fastest first sector time on his next flying lap, Hamilton was on course to go faster still before he missed his braking zone out of the tunnel and ran wide.
Rosberg suffered his own drama in the final minutes when his left-rear tyre was punctured by a dislodged drain cover which then flew back and badly damaged Jenson Button's McLaren.
Sebastian Vettel was third for Ferrari, nearly half a second down on the Mercedes benchmark but three tenths clear of the much-fancied Daniel Ricciardo. Unlike Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen, Ricciardo is running the new upgraded Renault engine which is reckoned to gain two tenths per lap even around Monte Carlo's windy streets. The young Dutchman, winner two weeks ago in Spain, was fractionally slower than Riccardo in fifth.
With Mercedes using the session as an extended test run as they acclimatised to the ultrasofts, there was action aplenty throughout the 90 minutes as Hamilton set a blistering pace while a number of drivers apparently struggled to adjust to the extra pace.
Carrying too much speed into the first corner, Williams veteran Felipe Massa crashed into the wall at Sainte Devote while under-pressure Jolyon Palmer came a cropper through the Swimming Pool complex.
McLaren, predicted by many to run inside the top 10 this weekend, made little impression. Fernando Alonso was 13th, two places higher than team-mate Button.
"It is their chance, but it's not looking like their chance at the moment," commented Sky F1's Paul di Resta.
Monaco GP Practice One timesheet
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:15.537
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:15.638
3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:15.956
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:16.308
5. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 1:16.371
6. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1:16.426
7. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1:16.560
8. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:16.697
9. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:16.912
10. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, 1:17.130
11. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:17.562
12. Romain Grosjean, Haas, 1:17.599
13. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:17.838
14. Esteban Gutierrez, Haas, 1:17.909
15. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:17.920
16. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1:18.187
17. Kevin Magnussen, Renault, 1:18.274
18. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:18.301
19. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:18.746
20. Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 1:18.871
21. Rio Haryanto, Manor, 1:20.528
22. Pascal Wehrlein, Manor, 1:20.868
