After an action-packed weekend in Imola that shook up the Championship standings – putting Alexander Dunne in the lead – Formula 2 headed to Monaco. With Formula 3’s free practice setting the tone for the day, it was time for Formula 2 to take to the track. On a circuit where there is no room for error, the drivers got their first chance to log some laps ahead of an extremely important qualifying session tomorrow.
As the drivers headed out, the soft tyre was the compound of choice. Once the tyres began to warm up, it was Dunne who first set a competitive benchmark with a time of 1:25.666, continuing his strong momentum. With track evolution and improved tyre temperatures, lap times started to improve quickly, and Victor Martins eventually topped the timesheets with a time of 1:22.623.
Similar to Formula 3, traffic created uncomfortable situations for many drivers, with yellow flags appearing frequently. The first incident came from Jack Crawford, who went off at Turn 5 but managed to reverse and rejoin the session quickly. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Mark Esterson, who later went off at Turn 1 and was forced to end his session early.
With the session halfway through, many drivers headed into the pits to switch to the supersoft tyres, which are expected to be used in tomorrow’s special format of qualifying.
Another yellow flag emerged as Leonardo Fornaroli spun in Turn 17, but – similarly to Crawford – he managed to continue straight to the pits for a check-up before getting back to action. Only a few moments later, the yellow flag turned into red when Amaury Cordeel ended up in the wall after both front tyres locked up in Turn 1. The Belgian became the second frustrated driver to retire from this session early.
The green flag waved with only eight minutes remaining, giving the grid another chance to build up speed and confidence – both crucial around this circuit. Martins once again went fastest, setting a time of 1:21.715, which was 0.6 seconds quicker than Luke Browning in P2.
Yellow flags, red flags, challenging corners, and a luxurious lifestyle – that’s what Monaco is all about. It delivers thrilling action, which will only intensify as the weekend continues with a tight qualifying session on Friday, followed by the sprint race on Saturday and the feature race on Sunday. So, mark your calendars, you won’t want to miss a moment.