Alpine Academy Set the Pace in Monaco Practice

In Practice for the Monaco Formula 2 round, it was the Alpine Academy trio who set the pace ahead of Qualifying on Friday.

Championship leader Gabriele Minì topped the timesheets with a 1:21.809, with the MP Motorsport driver determined to capitalise on his strong start to the season.

Fellow Alpine Academy drivers Kush Maini (ART Grand Prix) and Alex Dunne (Rodin) both clocked in within 0.15s of Minì , showcasing that they are the ones to watch ahead of this weekend’s racing.

Elsewhere in the field, DAMS and Campos Racing recorded strong Practice reports, with both teams’ drivers recording times within the top 10 on track, all times remaining within a second of P1.

The session featured two red flags, the first of which was caused by Oliver Goethe, whose car came to a standstill in the Swimming Pool section of track.

Rafael Villagómez was the cause of the second stoppage, this time due to hitting the wall whilst ascending the hill to Casino Square.

For Monaco debutants Colton Herta, Nico Varrone and Emerson Fittipaldi Jr, the session was about familiarising themselves with the circuit- their times were not towards the front of the field, but their lap counts were, with Herta being one of the first drivers to get on track.

For Qualifying tomorrow, the focus will be on the Alpine Academy – especially Gabriele Minì . The session starts at 15:10 Monaco time, and will be contested over two groups of 11 drivers – one driver from each team in each group.

Image: Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images

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