Just when things were heating up ahead of qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton brought the drama — not with a lap time, but with a 175mph crash that sent shockwaves through the paddock and left Ferrari scrambling to repair his car in a tight time window.
Thankfully, Hamilton walked away unharmed from the collision.
But for his mechanics, the pressure was suddenly on.
A Sudden Jolt on a Tricky Track
The incident happened during Saturday’s third practice session.
Hamilton, who has won in Monte Carlo three times before, was pushing on a congested track when he approached the Massenet corner.
After cresting the hill, he was caught off-guard by slower cars ahead.
As he tried to slow down, he lost control of the car and skidded into the barriers.
The impact cost him his front right tyre, and the rear wheel was left wrapped in red advertising tape from the track walls — a clear mark of how hard he’d hit.
“Damn, Hit the Wall – Sorry, Guys”
Hamilton immediately radioed in to his Ferrari team: “Damn, hit the wall – sorry, guys.”
His tone was apologetic but calm, signaling he was okay despite the crash.
At the time of the accident, he was running fifth on the timesheets — not bad, but far from the pace-setters.
He brought the car to a halt at Casino Square and hopped out to inspect the damage himself.
The car looked bruised, but not beyond repair.
The real test? Whether Ferrari could rebuild it in just two and a half hours before qualifying kicked off.
Leclerc Continues to Fly on Home Soil
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc — Hamilton’s teammate — had no such troubles.
The Monegasque driver continued his streak of impressive form by setting the fastest time of the session.
He also topped both practice runs on Friday, making him the man to beat heading into qualifying.
There’s no doubt that Leclerc will be feeling the pressure to finally convert home-soil pace into a meaningful result on race day — something that’s eluded him in past Monaco outings.
Verstappen Looms Close Behind
While Leclerc led the way, reigning world champion Max Verstappen wasn’t far off the pace.
The Red Bull driver clocked the second fastest time, just 0.280 seconds behind Leclerc.
After winning in Imola last week, Verstappen looks poised for another strong showing — and qualifying in Monaco, where track position is everything, will be crucial.
The Countdown to Qualifying
As the clock ticked down toward the 3pm BST qualifying session, all eyes were on Ferrari’s garage to see if Hamilton’s car could be put back together in time.
It’s a race against the clock, and if anyone can pull it off, it’s Ferrari’s seasoned mechanics.
Monaco is always unpredictable, and Hamilton’s crash just added another twist.
With Leclerc leading the charge, Verstappen lurking, and Hamilton fighting to bounce back, qualifying promises to be a showdown you won’t want to miss.