Sir Lewis Hamilton’s chances of winning the Monaco Grand Prix have taken a major blow after he crashed heavily in the final minutes of Saturday practice.
Hamilton was well-placed to fight for victory at the iconic street circuit this weekend, with Ferrari emerging as the surprise pace setters.
Teammate Charles Leclerc topped all three practice sessions at his home grand prix, ahead of championship contenders Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Hamilton is yet to finish on the podium since joining the Scuderia in 2025, with the Italian team lagging behind McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes, though he did win the sprint race in China.
But his weekend in Monte Carlo has been heavily compromised by a heavy shunt in the third and final practice session.
As the seven-time world champion approached turn three on a flying lap, he appeared to be caught out by slow moving traffic and their turbulent air.
The Brit suffered a huge snap and while he tried to get back under control, he was powerless to stop the car from slamming into the barriers, wrecking the right side of his SF-25 and bringing out the red flag.
‘Damn, hit the wall! Sorry guys,’ the 40-year-old said over the team radio before jumping out unscathed.
Ferrari mechanics faced a race against time to repair his car in time for qualifying at 3pm but thankfully for Hamilton, he is not at risk of being penalised over the incident.
Just before qualifying Ferrari gave an update on his car, stating: ‘We changed the nose, front wing and right front suspension.
‘We also replaced the entire rear end, including left and right hand suspension and gearbox as this is a quicker procedure than simply changing the damaged right rear suspension.’
In the past, a gearbox change incurred a grid penalty for the race – a disastrous punishment in Monaco given the limited overtaking opportunities.
But Sky Sports state that there are no longer any gearbox grid penalties, with reporter Ted Kravitz adding: ‘I don’t think we’re looking at any doubt about Lewis Hamilton’s car being ready for qualifying, it’s just that lunch will be cancelled at Ferrari.’
The slow cars involved in the crash, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Haas’ Esteban Ocon, were very briefly investigated by the stewards but no further action was taken.
As is the case every year at the narrow Monaco track, traffic has proven a major problem, with Leclerc crashing into the back of Lance Stroll and destroying his front wing just minutes into first practice on Friday.
‘I don’t know what he was going to do if he didn’t crash because he was going to crash into the cars in front,’ 2009 champion and Hamilton’s former teammate Jenson Button said on Sky Sports.
‘This is the problem. You are arriving at such high speed there, on the limit and you’ve got a car in front which is losing you all your downforce on entry.
‘It’s definitely Lewis’ mistake but it was not an easy situation for him at that point. A loss of downforce has definitely hurt him there.’
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