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Gabriele Minì delivered a composed and clinical final effort to top Thursday's Formula 2 Free Practice session on the streets of Monte Carlo. The MP Motorsport driver posted a 1:21.809 on his last lap of the session, edging ART Grand Prix's Kush Maini by a razor-thin 0.020 seconds — a margin that perfectly captures the precision required around Monaco's unforgiving barriers.
The session was anything but straightforward. An early Red Flag halted proceedings after Oliver Goethe stopped at the swimming pool section, and the field was still finding its rhythm when running resumed. Laurens van Hoepen was the first to set a meaningful benchmark on a 1:23.967, with Rafael Câmara just 0.040s behind in second.
Alexander Dunne was next to take control, posting a 1:23.478 and pushing Minì — just 0.073s behind at that stage — to second. The championship leader responded immediately, going quickest with a 1:23.180 before improving further to a 1:22.764, putting nearly four tenths between himself and the rest of the field.
A second Red Flag then brought matters to a halt, this time after Rafael Villagómez made contact with the barrier between Turns 3 and 4. With less than 14 minutes remaining when the session restarted, a brief Virtual Safety Car was also deployed to clear a front wing endplate from Sebastián Montoya's car following light contact with Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak.
With eight minutes remaining, drivers bolted on the supersoft tyres and the session entered its decisive phase. Minì immediately surged to the top on a 1:22.531, only for Maini to snatch the lead with a 1:21.829. But Minì had one more answer — his final lap of 1:21.809 restored his advantage and sealed top spot.
The result meant an all-Alpine Academy top three, with Dunne in third behind Minì and Maini. Dino Beganovic and van Hoepen completed the top five. Campos Racing's Nikola Tsolov — whose F1 potential has recently been making headlines — and Noel León followed in sixth and seventh, with Roman Bilinski eighth, Martinius Stenshorne ninth, and Câmara rounding out the top 10.
With the 2026 Formula 2 Monaco round setting up as one of the most compelling of the season, qualifying will be the next order of business. Group A is scheduled to take to the track on Friday afternoon at 15:10 local time.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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