DE VRIES LEADS BOTH MONACO PRACTICE SESSIONS
Nyck de Vries made a strong start to the 2026 Monaco E-Prix weekend by finishing fastest in both practice sessions on the streets of Monte Carlo. The Mahindra Racing driver showed great pace from the beginning and ended the morning as the driver to beat before qualifying.
In Free Practice 1, De Vries set the best time with a lap of 1m27.050s. His lap came near the end of the session and put him ahead of Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein, who finished second. Dan Ticktum was third for CUPRA KIRO, while Edoardo Mortara took fourth for Mahindra Racing. Jake Dennis completed the top five for Andretti.
The first session had a few difficult moments. Oliver Rowland locked up at Turn 1 and went off at St Devote, causing yellow flags. He was able to get the car moving again, but he was not fully happy with the set-up. Rowland finished only 19th, while Nick Cassidy also struggled and ended the session in 18th place.
Free Practice 2 was even better for Mahindra Racing. De Vries was fastest again, this time with a 1m26.664s. His teammate Edoardo Mortara finished second, only 0.160s behind. That gave Mahindra a strong one-two result before qualifying.
Mitch Evans was third for Jaguar, ahead of Maximilian Günther in fourth for DS PENSKE. Jake Dennis was fifth again for Andretti, showing good consistency across both sessions. Dan Ticktum, Pascal Wehrlein, Nico Müller, Felipe Drugovich and Joel Eriksson completed the top ten.
The second session was stopped early after Zane Maloney hit the barrier near Beau Rivage. He reported a brake problem but was able to leave the car safely and return to the garage. The red flag reduced the already short practice time, making every lap important for the teams.
Taylor Barnard also had a close moment when he lost control slightly coming out of the tunnel. He touched the barriers, and the contact was enough to affect his steering wheel.
Overall, Mahindra Racing looked very strong in Monaco. De Vries topped both sessions, Mortara was also fast, and the team entered qualifying with clear confidence. On a tight street circuit like Monte Carlo, that early pace could be very important.
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