FERRARI'S Sebastian Vettel posted the fastest time in final practice for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

The four-time world champion set a best lap of one minute and 14.650 seconds at the principality to finish the session only 0.018 seconds faster than world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Nico Rosberg, the championship leader, was third fastest in the sister Mercedes ahead of the Red Bull pair of Daniel Ricciardo, who was quickest in practice on Thursday, and Max Verstappen.

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Verstappen, the 18-year-old who opened his winning account so memorably in Spain a fortnight ago, clattered the barriers at Massenet and sustained damage to the front right of his Red Bull.

British rookie Jolyon Palmer was also in the wars at a circuit where the smallest of errors are penalised. He was fortunate not to hit the wall at the super-quick swimming pool section after losing control of his Renault. The 25-year-old came within inches of a date with the barriers, but avoided any damage.

The Herald:

The McLaren duo of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button were 12th and 13th, with Palmer, on his grand prix debut in Monte Carlo, 20th, more than one second adrift of his Renault team-mate Kevin Magnussen.

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Earlier, it was revealed that Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull will be first to test Pirelli's 2017 tyres later this summer. The new tyres, wider in diameter, are among a number of sweeping changes to the sport's technical regulations for next season.