The championship fight is more alive than ever, with Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel leading the first two free practices of the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.

In the first session of free practice, the two rivals in the championship Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) have been the fastest. Both have traded the first place, but the Brit has finally been the quickest, with a 1:13.425, after a total of 45 laps, being 0.196s faster than the German, who has made a total of 34 laps.

Both times have been superior to 2016 Daniel Ricciardo’s pole position time. The Red Bull driver has finished fifth, just behind Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes).

In the second session of free practice, it was Vettel who got the best time, improving Hamilton’s, setting a 1:12.720. Ricciardo was second, followed by Kimi Räikkönen‘s Ferrari. Completting the top five, the Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz.

The session saw debutant Lance Stroll (Williams) hit the wall on the Massenet curve, causing a red flag.