Moments later there was a lock-up for Hamilton that saw him run off the track at Sainte Devote, the Briton subsequently returning to the pits.
Meanwhile the likes of Antonelli and George Russell – sitting in third and ninth respectively – had switched to the medium tyres as the session reached its halfway point.
As the McLarens and others started to follow suit by bolting on the C4 compound – and Antonelli moved up to the P1 slot – Norris pulled off a good save after a bit of a moment on his lap.
Hadjar, however, was not so lucky as the Frenchman hit the barriers at the Swimming Pool chicane, bringing out the red flags.
Hamilton returned to the top spot on a 1m 14.204s – before team mate Leclerc became the first to dip into the 1m 13s, going fastest with his effort of 1m 13.
On the timesheets, Leclerc had climbed to the top on a 1m 14.928s, a sizeable 0.508s clear of championship leader Kimi Antonelli – but Hamilton was still looking quick and soon moved ahead of Antonelli, the seven-time World Champion having won at Monaco on three occasions in the past.
Moments later there was a lock-up for Hamilton that saw him run off the track at Sainte Devote, the Briton subsequently returning to the pits. Meanwhile the likes of Antonelli and George Russell – sitting in third and ninth respectively – had switched to the medium tyres as the session reached its halfway point.
As the McLarens and others started to follow suit by bolting on the C4 compound – and Antonelli moved up to the P1 slot – Norris pulled off a good save after a bit of a moment on his lap. Hadjar, however, was not so lucky as the Frenchman hit the barriers at the Swimming Pool chicane, bringing out the red flags.
Fortunately the Red Bull racer reported that he was okay before making his way back to the team garage, while the marshals worked to clear the stricken RB22. Following a short stoppage, the action resumed with just over 15 minutes left on the clock.
Most of the pack had now switched to the medium tyres for the final segment of the session, while Verstappen issue a complaint over the radio, asking the team to “fix this release”. Hamilton returned to the top spot on a 1m 14.204s – before team mate Leclerc became the first to dip into the 1m 13s, going fastest with his effort of 1m 13. 978s.
