Lewis Hamilton’s preparations for the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix faced a significant setback when he crashed during the final moments of Saturday’s third practice session. The seven-time world champion lost control of his Ferrari at the Mirabeau corner, resulting in a collision with the barriers that caused front suspension damage. The incident brought the session to an abrupt end, necessitating a red flag. 
Despite the severity of the crash, Hamilton emerged unscathed and immediately apologized to his team over the radio, saying, “Sorry about that, mate.” His race engineer, Peter Bonnington, responded reassuringly, “No worries, we will sort it.” The Ferrari crew faced a tight window to repair the car before the qualifying session, which was scheduled to commence just a few hours later.  
Remarkably, the team managed to ready the car in time, allowing Hamilton to participate in qualifying. He secured the fourth position; however, a subsequent three-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen during the session relegated him to seventh on the starting grid.
The crash and penalty collectively impacted Hamilton’s prospects in the race, especially on Monaco’s narrow circuit, where overtaking is notoriously challenging. Nonetheless, his resilience and the team’s swift response underscored their determination to remain competitive in the championship battle.