Carlos Sainz and Ferrari made a fast start to their Monaco Grand Prix weekend, as the Spaniard led the way in the first practice session in Monte Carlo, setting the pace ahead of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

In a busy session in which the drivers and their teams looked to get up to speed and in tune with the circuit, it was Sainz who set the early pace on the medium tyre with a time of 1m 14.251s, to lead his team mate Charles Leclerc and Alonso.

Hamilton then vaulted to the top of the timesheets before Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg collided with the wall at Turn 13, damaging his left-rear tyre, and while he was able to make it back to the garage, the session was briefly red flagged as they were forced to fix the barrier.