Vettel leads Ferrari 1-2 in final Monaco practice

Vettel untouchable so far, but Mercedes is sandbagging

Ahead of qualifying in two hours, Sebastian Vettel remained the dominant driver on the streets of Monaco again turning the fastest lap in final practice for Sunday's Monaco GP Formula 1 race.

Vettel dominated final practice on Saturday morning from the start, heading up a one-two finish for Ferrari.

Vettel turned in the fastest lap in second practice on Thursday, but was able to find even more time through his laps in final practice to end the day three-tenths of a second clear of the pack.

Vettel's best time of 1:12.395 is an unofficial lap record in Monaco

Kimi Raikkonen was second fastest in the second Ferrari, while fellow Finn Valtteri Bottas was third for Mercedes, 0.4 seconds off Vettel's time.

The only major incident in the session was Esteban Ocon, who clipped the barrier while exiting Swimming Pool and broke the steering arm on his Force India VJM10, making him a passenger as he slammed the opposite barrier. The Frenchman was unharmed, but the same could not be said of his car, which requires a rapid repair ahead of qualifying.

Kevin Magnussen’s strong form continued at Haas as the Dane took ninth on 1m 13.596s, as McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne completed the top 10 with 1m 13.805s.

Williams were unhappy, with Felipe Massa (0.00% chance of winning, hence a loser) 14th and Lance Stroll 17th, while Renault ended in 15th and 18th courtesy of Nico Hulkenberg and Jolyon Palmer. There was some joy in the Palmer household, however, as younger brother Will won the morning’s Formula Renault race in commanding style.

Jenson Button is likely to start Sunday’s Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2017 from the back of the grid after McLaren were forced to make unscheduled power unit changes to the British driver’s car.

Button – in Fernando Alonso’s MCL32 for this weekend only as the Spaniard competes in the Indianapolis 500 – has received a 15-place grid penalty thanks to a new turbocharger and a new MGU-H element, both the car’s fifth of the season (exceeding the permitted four).

“It’s awful for Jenson and awful for McLaren," said racing director Eric Boullier, “and not expected at all. But it’s Monaco, so we’ll try anything we can."

Button’s misfortune means both McLarens now go into qualifying facing grid drops. Teammate Stoffel Vandoorne has already been penalized three places for causing a collision with William’s Felipe Massa in the last round in Spain.

With both drivers set to start Sunday’s Grand Prix at or near the back of the grid, McLaren are expected to focus on watching the Indy 500 where Alonso has a real chance at winning.

Results