Carlos Sainz tops first Monaco practice as Albon crashes out

Williams driver Alex Albon brought the first practice session at the Monaco Grand Prix to an early end after crashing in turn 1. The British-born Thai, who had impressed with 10th the fastest time up to then, lost the rear mid-way through Saint Devote and hit the barrier.

Festest of the session was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who topped Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in an upgraded Mercedes.

Carlos Sainz goes fastest in an action-packed first practice in Monaco 🔴 pic.twitter.com/ztBa9xKQ0C

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 26, 2023

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Championship leader Max Verstappen was struggling in sixth in his Red Bull as his car obviously had performance problems.

Verstappen, complaining that the car was set too low and bottoming, was behind his team-mate Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.