Damon Hill
1996 world champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra in Monaco

Everybody wants to win the Monaco grand prix, it's the one you get remembered for and everybody knows this race.

The grip levels are not there, says Max Verstappen as he tries to get the soft C6 rubber in the working window.

As the board turns red with soft tyres before we go qualifying for real later on, Lewis Hamilton is one of the first to clock his latest flyer on the C6 rubber. The seven-time world champion is sitting in P5 but as he completes the lap, he unfortunately doesn't move up the timesheets.

Yuki Tsunoda in seventh and informs his Red Bull pit wall the car does not feel stable.

Damon Hill
1996 world champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra in Monaco

You can see the plastic advertising being drawn off of the barrier by the speed of the cars as they go past.

The drivers run so close to the barrier at this circuit that they're actually unpeeling the advertising off the barrier.

Rosanna Tennant
5 Live F1 reporter in Monaco

I was talking to the safety car driver, Bernd Maylander, he is the first person to drive the track each morning and he said with the resurfacing they've done with the track, it feels so much better.

The base level of grip is way higher and if it was going to rain that would make a huge difference. But I think it's set fair, so get that sunscreen on!

Carlos Sainz says he has a good feeling about the car as he continues his run plan in third practice but he needs to see where he can be quicker. The Spaniard is 11th on the timesheets but will aiming for a Q3 appearance this afternoon.

Max Verstappen has headed out on the C6 soft tyre. Let's see what the four-time world champion can do...

Damon Hill
1996 world champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra in Monaco

The barriers look like they are smooth but there's a steel barrier behind that and if the drivers hit it, they can rip all of that plastic off the barrier. We've seen this before where the plastic advertising gets wrapped around the car and the tyres and they have a bit of a problem clearing that one up.

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1:11.233 (medium tyre)

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.224

3. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.370

4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.510

5. Alex Albon (Williams) +0.747

Franco Colapinto is back on the grid after replacing Jack Doohan at Alpine but the Argentine needs to sharpen his reactions, as he's been quite scruffy over the Monaco lap so far. This time, he impedes the Haas of Oliver Bearman despite giving a few glances in his mirrors to check what was behind him.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris flags a pedestrian Lance Stroll to his McLaren pit wall. Slow traffic is causing a lot issues in Monte Carlo.

Damon Hill
1996 world champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra in Monaco

The interesting thing is Max Verstappen on a medium tyre is doing a long run and he's able to get into the groove and rhythm and you can start to shave little bits off.

The medium compound could be the trick up the sleeve this weekend, just like they were for Aston Martin during Imola qualifying a week ago. Max Verstappen is a yellow runner and goes back above Charles Leclerc by 0.299 seconds. The new time to topple is a 1:11.233.

Lewis Hamilton is third and Alex Albon is fourth, both on the soft compound.

Damon Hill
1996 world champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra in Monaco

[On traffic] It's impossible, it's an art in itself and a huge amount of luck as to whether or not you get a clear lap here.

The soft compound is bolted on for Charles Leclerc and the home driver, who knows these streets like the back of his hand (do you know the back of your hand well?) leapfrogs Max Verstappen to go quickest by 0.121 seconds. The Dutchman set his marker on the medium tyre, though.

Image source, PA Media

Isack Hadjar finds a slow-moving Yuki Tsunoda in the high-speed Tunnel. "That was dangerous by Yuki," says the Racing Bulls man as he exits into the bright sunlight.

"My bad with Hadjar," says the Red Bull driver to his engineer.

George Russell crosses the line and goes to third on the timesheets. But the Mercedes man drops a place as Max Verstappen puts his Red Bull above Charles Leclerc with a 1:11.961 on the C5 mediums.

Now Ladno Norris improves to sit second, 0.165 seconds off Verstappen's marker on the soft rubber.

Damon Hill
1996 world champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra in Monaco

Let's say at full speed at Monaco these cars are generating their own weight in downforce, when they slow down they are losing around 700 kilograms of pressure on the tyres, so that grip drops off hugely and very quickly.

As you brake you're losing grip as well as going slower and trying to slow the car down.

Generally speaking, the drivers and the car cannot generate enough braking force to overcome the grip they've got at high speed which is why the premium is on braking hard late because you're still going fast.

Then that means as you bleed off speed, the braking overcomes the grip and that's where you see drivers locking up.

Lewis Hamilton has reached Casino Square in his Ferrari as the Williams of Carlos Sainz pulls alongside, quite closely. The seven-time world champion tells his pit wall he did try to get out of the Spaniard's way. Hamilton is third, Lando Norris is second and the other Scuderia of Charles Leclerc is leading the field.

Rosanna Tennant
5 Live F1 reporter in Monaco

It's been a slow start. I was wondering perhaps there's an element of tyre saving going on given the strategies and decisions coming to the teams and drivers way this weekend with the mandatory two-stop race. It's quite busy in the pit-lane, but quieter than usual on track.

Image source, Getty Images

The streets are packed now as all 20 cars enter the action. The two Red Bulls are in the top five - Max Verstappen in fourth and Yuki Tsunoda in fifth, both on the medium tyres - but it's Charles Leclerc who jumps above Lando Norris to bank the fastest lap. The new time to beat is a 1:12.712, which was set on the same C6 tyres as McLaren's Norris.

McLaren are out and Lando Norris is the first of the two cars to set a lap time, the Briton on the C6 compound. Lewis Hamilton briefly went quickest but Norris beats that marker and leads the pack with a 1:12970.