Monaco GP FP3: Antonelli Tops Leclerc and Hamilton in Monte Carlo Thriller

Key Takeaways

Antonelli’s 1:12.720 sets the tone in Monte Carlo

Final practice in Monaco is rarely quiet, and the 2026 edition delivered exactly the sort of high-stakes Saturday morning the Principality is known for. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli put his Mercedes on top with a 1:12.720, the only lap of the hour to drop under the 1:13 barrier.

Behind him, the gap to Ferrari was 0.327s — a margin that looks larger than it felt on the timing screens, because Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were separated by just 0.004s. Four thousandths between the two scarlet cars on the streets where Ferrari finished 1-2 in both Friday sessions. For collectors watching the broadcast, that meant two near-identical Ferrari helmets framed in consecutive sector splits all morning.

The early FP3 push laps were on the soft tyre, which is why the opening stages felt unusually committed for a practice session. Teams knew this was arguably the most important Saturday of the season, with qualifying on a circuit where the Saturday result so often defines the Sunday.

Ferrari’s early pace and Hamilton’s first sub-1:15 lap

Ferrari were the early benchmark. Leclerc opened proceedings with a 1:15.184, 0.062s up on Hamilton, before the seven-time world champion became the first driver of the session to break the 1:15 barrier with a 1:14.390.

The helmet visual that defined the morning

Hamilton’s Ferrari-era lid — yellow accents on a base that reads instantly red under Monaco’s harsh Saturday sun — is fast becoming one of the most photographed display pieces of the season. The Tabac-to-Piscine sweep, with the camera tracking the helmet against the barrier graphics, is the kind of frame collectors freeze for reference shots. A full-size 1:1 replica of the Monaco-spec lid captures those yellow stripes around the visor aperture with the layered paint depth that only an exhibition-quality piece can show.

That 0.062s gap between the two Ferrari drivers in the opening runs was the same kind of margin that separated them at the end of the session. Consistency on a circuit that punishes the slightest steering correction.

McLaren’s curfew fine and Norris’s brief moment on top

McLaren arrived in FP3 needing every lap they could find. Lando Norris’s MCL40 had ground to a halt at Nouvelle Chicane early in second practice on Friday, and the team worked into the night to make electrical repairs. That brought a €20,000 fine — €10,000 of it suspended — for breaking the Friday night track curfew.

The work paid off briefly. Norris jumped to the top of the timing screens by going 0.015s quicker than the leading Ferrari, the reigning world champion stealing the headline for a handful of minutes before the track evolution caught up with him.

Track evolution and the soft-tyre window

Monaco’s surface gains grip lap after lap on a Saturday morning. The 30-minute mark of FP3 is when the real numbers usually appear, and that is exactly when Mercedes and Ferrari started trading fastest sectors.

The Mercedes-Ferrari exchange that defined FP3

George Russell was first to break the 1:14 barrier, dropping a 1:13.902 to put Mercedes ahead. Leclerc answered almost immediately with a 1:13.748, only for Antonelli to pull out a 1:13.374 — 0.374s clear of his team-mate.

Russell briefly made it a Mercedes 1-2 on the timing tower, 0.109s adrift of Antonelli, before Leclerc came back with a 1:13.355. Antonelli’s reply was the lap of the session: a 1:13.137, and he was on course to go quicker still — two purple sectors already banked — when he came across a slow Cadillac and had to abort.

Lap progression in the closing 15 minutes

• Russell: 1:13.902 (first sub-1:14)
• Leclerc: 1:13.748
• Antonelli: 1:13.374
• Leclerc: 1:13.355
• Antonelli: 1:13.137 — then the final 1:12.720

Five different fastest laps in a few minutes. The session was briefly disrupted by a yellow flag period as the teams chased the chequered flag, but by then Antonelli’s headline time was set.

Why Hamilton’s Ferrari Monaco helmet matters for collectors

Third in FP3, four thousandths behind Leclerc, on a Saturday that could shape Hamilton’s Ferrari era — this is the kind of session that ends up engraved on the back of display helmets years later. For the collector market, Monaco produces some of the most reproducible visual moments in the calendar: the helmet framed against the harbour, the visor catching the reflection of the barriers, the team graphics aligned with the kerb stripes.

What an exhibition-quality 1:1 replica captures

A full-size 1:1 collector replica of Hamilton’s 2026 Ferrari lid is built to mirror the on-track piece visually, not functionally. Paint layering, decal placement, visor tint and the sponsor block proportions all need to match the broadcast frames fans see during sessions like this one. These are display pieces and collector items, intended for shelves, lit cabinets and exhibition spaces — never for protective use.

The same applies to a Leclerc Monaco-spec lid alongside it. The 0.004s separating their FP3 times is the kind of detail collectors note on display cards beside paired helmets in a cabinet.

Looking ahead to qualifying

Three-tenths is a large practice margin in Monaco terms, but Ferrari’s Friday form — 1-2 in both sessions — means the qualifying picture is far from settled. Antonelli’s lap was clean and complete; Leclerc was still finding sectors when the chequered flag fell; Hamilton, four thousandths behind his team-mate, was clearly still climbing the tyre window.

Whatever happens in Q3, the visual record of this Monaco weekend — three helmets, three liveries, one of the tightest practice sessions of the year — is exactly the sort of moment that translates into display pieces collectors keep for decades.

FAQ

Q: How fast was Antonelli’s FP3 lap at Monaco?
Kimi Antonelli set a 1:12.720, the only sub-1:13 lap of the session and 0.327s clear of Charles Leclerc in second.

Q: How close were Leclerc and Hamilton in final practice?
Just 0.004s separated the two Ferrari drivers, with Leclerc second and Hamilton third behind Antonelli.

Q: Why was McLaren fined before FP3?
McLaren received a €20,000 fine — €10,000 of it suspended — for breaking the Friday night track curfew to repair electrical issues on Lando Norris’s MCL40 after it stopped at Nouvelle Chicane in FP2.

Q: Are the 1:1 Hamilton Ferrari helmets on 123Helmets safe to wear?
No. All helmets sold on 123Helmets.com are full-size 1:1 collector replicas and display pieces only. They are not certified for protective use and are intended for exhibition and cabinet display.

Q: What makes the Monaco helmet visuals so popular with collectors?
Monaco’s tight camera angles, harbour backdrop and barrier graphics frame the helmet more clearly than almost any other circuit, producing reference images that translate well to exhibition-quality display replicas.

Shop Lewis Hamilton Collection

Display and collector replicas only. Not certified for protective use. Full-size 1:1 scale.