Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent in Monaco

In a road accident, if you hit someone in the back, then it's your fault. But I don't think that was Leclerc's fault at all. Stroll just turned almost at a right angle on to the racing line right into Leclerc's path.

Leclerc and Stroll collidepublished at 12:40 British Summer Time

12:40 BST

Lance Stroll pulled over to let a faster car through at the approach to the Hairpin but Charles Leclerc was coming up behind quickly - and bump, the pair collide. Aston Martin did tell Stroll that Leclerc was close by but it seems like the Canadian didn't hear the message.

Leclerc strugglingpublished at 12:38 British Summer Time

12:38 BST

Lewis Hamilton goes quickest with a 1:14.576 but his team-mate Charles Leclerc looks like he's struggling. Has the Monegasque driver clipped another car? Is it the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll perhaps? His front wing is definitely damaged.

There's a new overhead shot of the streets of Monaco, giving us a fabulous shot as the cars creep around the hairpin. It's a good mixture of tyres early doors as we head into the unknown of Sunday's two-stop race. Nico Hulkenberg and Lewis Hamilton were top of the timesheets on the mediums but now Charles Leclerc, after his little off, is quickest on the yellow rubber.

Charles Leclerc is out the medium C5 tyres but he already needs the aid of the escape road at Mirabeau after locking his front right wheel. The Ferrari man reverses out, rejoins the track and is back on his to complete his opening lap.

Image source, FIA

Constructors' leaders McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari are among the teams bringing tweaks to Monaco.

The update to Williams' front suspension is hopefully going to aid the team's approach to the twisty 19-corner circuit, including the tight - and very slow - Hairpin.

McLaren

Rear wing, beam wing x2 (medium-high downforce; medium downforce), front suspension, front corner.

Ferrari

Front suspension, front corner, beam wing, rear wing.

Red Bull

Rear wing, front suspension, front corner.

Aston Martin

Front wing, rear wing, rear corner.

Alpine

Front suspension, rear wing, beam wing.

Haas

Rear wing, beam wing, front suspension.

Racing Bulls

Front corner, Beam wing, rear wing.

Williams

Rear wing, beam wing, front suspension, front corner.

Sauber

Rear wing, front corner.

It's a glorious day in Monaco to get a driver's autograph.

First practice is green.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sounds

Harry Benjamin and F1 correspondent Andrew Benson are taking us through Friday's practice running.

To tune in, click the 'listen live' tab at the top of this page or you can ask BBC Sounds to play Monaco Grand Prix, followed by 'practice one' now and 'practice two' later, via most smart speakers.

But there's also a new way to listen. Just scroll through the live radio dial at the top of BBC Sounds and tap on Sports Extra 2 and you'll find today's commentary there.

Image source, Getty Images

The timings of the virtual safety car and full safety car at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix did not fall in Fernando Alonso's favour and the Spaniard saw a great fifth place qualifying slip to a P11 race finish. Alonso is yet to score in the championship, with team-mate Lance Stroll delivering Aston Martin's total haul of 14 points this season.

He called his Imola race "pure bad luck", so can the changes to this year's Monaco Grand Prix give him a helping hand?

"The two stops will probably give some hope on Saturday night," said Alonso. "Normally on a Saturday in Monaco, everything is locked for the weekend and you have not much to do on Sunday. While now, maybe you can get lucky, or you choose the right moment to stop, and there is some hope in places."

Image source, McLaren X

With Max Verstapen right on the tail of Lando Norris and leader Oscar Piastri in the championship after his Imola triumph, what will McLaren's strategy be for this weekend's Monaco two-stopper? The margins are so fine between the three drivers, a tag team approach to thwart any Verstappen attack may be needed.

Piastri and Norris have a new livery in Monte Carlo which gives a nod to the McLaren M7A - the car founder Bruce McLaren claimed the team’s first F1 victory at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix.

The design also draws inspiration "from the elegance of the Riviera" and the drivers are wearing all white race suits too. The change isn't as dramatic as the previous Monaco liveries of 2024 and 2023 but there are some nice touches to go along with the retro feel.

Image source, Getty Images

He has two wins at the Principality: one as actual polesitter, the other as de facto polesitter when Charles Leclerc failed to start in 2022, so Max Verstappen knows how to take the chequered flag at this challenging circuit. But where Red Bull stand in the pecking order these days, despite his two victories this season, is still a mystery.

"If you take the average of Miami and Imola, I don’t think we look that great," he said.

"I know this is a very different track. We’ve only been properly competitive on high-speed tracks so far this season. Monaco isn’t a high-speed track; I’m a little bit more reserved. I have no idea where we are."

Image source, Getty Images

The Monaco curse was broken for Charles Leclerc last year when he crossed the line victorious at his home grand prix after a few seasons of heartbreak. The Monte Carlos streets, and its royalty, partied all night long and Leclerc and Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur jumped into the harbour in celebration. Actually, Fred was pushed in.

Will we see the same red jubilation again this year? The form guide suggests not, as the Italian team have found 2025 rough going so far. But this is Monaco, so you never know.

However, at a track where overtaking is difficult, a good qualifying position is vital - and Leclerc and team-mate Lewis Hamilton were both knocked out in Q2 in Imola a week ago.

While the pair recovered through the field to score points last Sunday - Hamilton went from P12 to fourth and Leclerc P11 to P6, so there positives to pull from round seven - extracting the best out of the car on Saturday will be key to hopefully replicating 2024's success.

Two drivers on the podium in Imola - you admire that trophy, Oscar - keeps McLaren ahead of the pack in the constructors' title race. The papaya team are 132 points clear of Mercedes in second, with third-placed Red Bull finding a bit of distance between themselves and Ferrari in fourth after Max Verstappen's victory.

Another solid weekend for Williams means the team are 31 points free of Haas in the battle for fifth place.

Image source, Getty Images

Oscar Piastri leads the drivers' championship by 13 points after seven races but never count out four-time title winner Max Verstappen. The Dutchman is only 22 points behind the Australian - less than a grand prix victory - heading into this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

Lando Norris is in second but holds only a nine-point advantage over third-placed Verstappen.

Image source, Getty Images/BBC Sport

So, what compounds will be used during this two-stopper weekend? It's the softest trio of the Pirelli 2025 range that has made the journey to Monte Carlo - the same as last weekend in Imola.

The C6 tyre - which made its debut seven days ago - is back again as the soft, the C4 as the hard and the C5 as the medium.

Drivers will get two sets of the white hard, three sets of the yellow medium and eight sets of the red soft. The green intermediate and blue full wets have also made the trip, should they be required.

In its race preview,, external Pirelli says the new two stop could see teams taking a punt on the C6 soft during the race, especially if drivers opt for a late pit stop or a safety car appears during the closing stages.

Image source, Getty Images

Monaco is called the jewel in the Formula 1 crown but the sparkle of this prestigious event has been dulling for quite some time, with Saturday's qualifying the all-important part of the weekend and Sunday's grand prix a bit of a snoozefest because of the lack of overtaking opportunities.

Earlier this year, bosses agreed to a mandatory two-stop strategy at the Principality, which teams all gave the thumbs up to. The only restriction is visiting the pits twice, in addition to the need to run at least two types of tyre.

The FIA said the change has been brought in "with the primary intent of improving the sporting spectacle".

Lorraine McKenna
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Hello, folks. Most drivers can sleep in their own beds this weekend because we've reached the glitz and glamour of the Monaco Grand Prix. Whether or not we'll be entertained as an audience, though, we'll have to wait and see.

First practice gets under way at 12:30 BST.

Second practice goes green at 16:00 BST.

We left off in Imola with Max Verstappen back on the top step of the podium following his victory at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. Lando Norris and championship leader Oscar Piastri - who started on pole but was passed brilliantly by Verstappen on the first lap - finished in second and third respectively.

There is a new element to this Monte Carlo running that the FIA hope will liven up proceedings: a mandatory two-stop race on Sunday...