Victor Martins laid down an early marker in Monte Carlo, dominating the opening Free Practice session with a commanding performance for ART Grand Prix.
The Frenchman was the only driver to dip into the 1:21s, clocking a best time of 1:21.715 to finish well clear of the rest of the field. Williams Academy driver Martins looked in complete control around the Principality’s unforgiving streets, ending the session over seven tenths clear of his nearest challenger.
Behind him, Luke Browning continued his strong form with the second-fastest time for Hitech Pulse-Eight, while Leonardo Fornaroli impressed once again, securing P3 for Invicta Racing.
It was Championship leader Alexander Dunne who initially set the early pace, posting a 1:25.666 for Rodin Motorsport. TRIDENT’s Sami Meguetounif slotted into second shortly after, with Gabriele Minì sitting third for PREMA Racing in the opening stages.
Martins quickly got to work, lowering the benchmark to a 1:24.014 before following it up with a 1:23.230, pulling out a gap of six tenths on the rest of the field. The ART driver wasn’t done yet, going quicker again with a 1:22.623, cementing his place at the top as the session reached halfway.
After a brief pause for fresh Supersoft Pirelli tyres, drama unfolded as Amaury Cordeel brought out a Red Flag, nosing his Rodin car into the barriers at Sainte Dévote. Thankfully, the Belgian was unharmed, and his car was swiftly recovered, leaving seven minutes on the clock.
On the restart, Minì looked poised to go quickest, but Martins had the final word. His lap on the Supersofts was untouchable, extending his advantage to nearly three-quarters of a second.
Browning and Fornaroli both improved late on to claim second and third respectively, while Minì was shuffled down to fourth.
Dino Beganovic, the polesitter last time out in Imola, ended the session fifth for PREMA. He was followed by Richard Verschoor in P6 for MP Motorsport. Arvid Lindblad, Dunne, Roman Stanek, and Jak Crawford rounded out the top ten.
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