P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Charles Leclerc looked imperious all throughout the second practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
Charles Leclerc set the pace by posting the fastest time in second practice, making him the early favorite for the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes came close to Leclerc’s time, trailing by 0.188 seconds, with a qualifying simulation that surpassed last year’s pole position time. Leclerc’s exceptional performance was apparent throughout the session, with strong consistency and impressive sector times, even outshining Hamilton in some instances.
During the transition to soft tires, Fernando Alonso was the only driver who could challenge Leclerc initially, while Max Verstappen and Lando Norris closely followed. The top contenders for the race appeared to be Leclerc, Verstappen, Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Carlos Sainz, showcasing their dominance over the rest of the field. Despite Hamilton’s strong single-lap pace, the long-run simulations indicated potential challenges due to the nature of Monaco’s race order being heavily influenced by qualifying.
Some drivers, like Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll, faced difficulties during the practice session, struggling with handling issues and encounters with the barriers. Yuki Tsunoda, although not repeating his impressive single-lap performance from the previous race, showed competitiveness on long-run pace, highlighting the varied challenges faced by different teams and drivers.
