Lewis Hamilton has ended the first practice session from Monaco on top after setting a lap of 1:13.425. The Brit will be hoping for a strong weekend and take the lead of the driver's championship after Sunday's race.

However, it appears that Hamilton's rival Sebastian Vettel will be hot on his heels after the German ended the day in second, just under two-tenths behind the Mercedes of Hamilton. Max Verstappen gave Red Bull confidence that they have a strong weekend ahead, slotting into third.

Valtteri Bottas in the other Mercedes ended the session in fourth while his compatriot Kimi Raikkonen finished in seventh in the Ferrari. Last year's polesitter Daniel Ricciardo was P5.

Toro Rosso appears to have some magic pace around the streets of Monte Carlo, as both Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz finished sixth and ninth respectively, both under a second of Hamilton. However, both laps were set on the super soft tyres, suggesting there is even more time to come.

Sergio Perez got his pink Force India in eighth while his teammate Esteban Ocon, who is driving the Monaco circuit for the first time, ended the first practice session in Monaco in P10.

Fergal Walsh