Monaco GP: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen tops Practice Two from Ferraris as Carlos Sainz crashes

Max Verstappen edged Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to top the timesheet in Practice Two; Sainz ended what had been a strong day with a heavy crash; Lewis Hamilton sixth in upgraded Mercedes; watch Monaco GP qualifying live on Sky Sports F1 from 2:30pm on Saturday

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Carlos Sainz whacks the inside barrier at the Swimming Pool chicane to crash and cause a red flag in FP2

Max Verstappen recovered from a troubling start to the Monaco Grand Prix weekend to narrowly top Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in second practice.

Verstappen, whose Red Bull team have dominated the opening five races of the season, endured a frustrating opening session on Friday as he could only finish sixth amid struggles to get to grips with his RB19 around Formula 1’s most famous circuit.

However, a much-improved display from the world championship leader saw him produce a lap of 1:12.462 to finish six hundredths of a second clear of Leclerc, who will be seeking a third successive pole at his home circuit on Saturday.

Sainz had enjoyed a hugely-impressive day, topping Practice One and showing strong pace on hard tyres early in the later session, but his afternoon was ruined by a heavy shunt at the Swimming Pool Chicane.

Fernando Alonso, who has been open about his belief he can claim a first F1 win for 10 years this weekend, was a little over 0.2s off Verstappen’s leading time for Aston Martin.

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Ride onboard with Max Verstappen as he navigates the Monaco streets during FP2

Lando Norris offered a reminder of his special talent as he took advantage of McLaren’s strong performance in slow corners to finish fifth.

That put him a place ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who appeared to settle more quickly in Mercedes’ significantly upgraded W14 than team-mate George Russell, who could only manage 12th after finishing 16th earlier on Friday.

Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, who is also the Dutchman’s nearest challenger at the top of the drivers’ standings, failed to live up to the reputation he has earned for delivering at street circuits, as he finished seventh.

More to follow…