MONTE CARLO - Ferrari's Charles Leclerc stormed around his hometown track with the fastest time in second free practice for the Monaco Grand Prix on Thursday after trailing in last in the morning session.
Leclerc only managed a handful of laps in the morning after gearbox problems, but under crisp blue skies showed he can't be discounted in Sunday's fifth GP of the season.
It was an impressive performance from Ferrari as new boy Carlos Sainz was second fastest, with seven-time world champion and current championship leader Lewis Hamilton in third for Mercedes.
The 23-year-old Leclerc has yet to finish an F1 race in Monaco.
This season he has still to get on the podium with two fourth-place and two sixth-place finishes.
His team, meanwhile, haven't won a race since 2019 while last season was their worst since 1980.
"Two years ago we did not have a good qualifying, we made a mistake as a team (Leclerc qualified 16th), so it's important here to do well for Charles," Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto told AFP.
Hamilton, targeting his 99th win on Sunday, leads Dutchman Max Verstappen by 14 points after four races in the chase for the drivers crown.
"The Ferraris look really strong, which is great, it means more competition," said Hamilton.
Verstappen was hot on Hamilton's heels in the second session, placing seven hundredths of a second behind him in his Red Bull.
"We're too slow. And not just a little, but a lot. We really need to find some rhythm," said a disappointed Verstappen.
Monaco's iconic street circuit will welcome 7,500 fans to its grandstands as the race returns to the schedule after a coronavirus-enforced cancellation in 2020.
There will be no on-track action Friday with the next practice session on Saturday morning before qualifying.
Second free practice times: 1. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 1:11.684 (30 laps), 2. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) 1:11.796 (32), 3. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:12.074 (28), 4. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull-Honda) 1:12.081 (27), 5. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:12.107 (32), 6.Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:12.379 (24), 7. Pierre Gasly (FRA/AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:12.498 (28), 8. Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull-Honda) 1:12.708 (24), 9. Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) 1:12.746 (28), 10. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:12.982 (26), 11. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) 1:13.065 (31), 12.Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine-Renault) 1:13.175 (27), 13.Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:13.195 (26), 14. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine-Renault) 1:13.199 (28), 15. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:13.257 (26), 16.George Russell (GBR/Williams-Mercedes) 1:13.509 (31), 17.Nicholas Latifi (CAN/Williams-Mercedes) 1:13.593 (31), 18. Nikita Mazepin (RUS/Haas-Ferrari) 1:14.407 (26), 19. Mick Schumacher (GER/Haas-Ferrari) 1:14.416 (25), 20. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:14.829 (11). -AFP. May 21, 2021
