Hamilton fastest in Monaco first practice ahead of Vettel as Button returns

Lewis Hamilton edged out championship rival Sebastian Vettel in opening practice for the Monaco Grand Prix as the returning Jenson Button finished 14th.

Hamilton has arrived in Monte Carlo six points adrift of Vettel in the title race after the triple world champion claimed his second victory of the season in Spain a fortnight ago.

And the Briton set out his stall in his quest to win the famous Monaco race in consecutive seasons by ending the session 0.196 seconds clear of Vettel, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen third in the order.

But while it was Hamilton who topped the order, all eyes were on his former team-mate Button, with the 2009 world champion returning to the McLaren cockpit just five races after he left the sport.

The 37-year-old is back in the Formula One paddock as a one-off replacement for Fernando Alonso, the double world champion who is competing at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

Button, still under contract with McLaren in an ambassadorial role, was provided with his first taste of on-track action this season having declined the opportunity to test after the Bahrain Grand Prix in April.

The Englishman, who won here back in 2009, started the session nearly six seconds off the pace as he got use to the wider and more physically demanding nature of this year's car.

But as time ebbed on, Button eased himself up the order, and finished a respectable 1.5 sec slower than Hamilton's best effort and less than two tenths of a second adrift of Stoffel Vandoorne in the sister McLaren.

Button managed to complete 35 laps, too, with the Honda engine, which has been so unreliable this year, not causing the man from Froome any problems.

Button will return to the McLaren cockpit later on Thursday, before Monaco's traditional "rest day" tomorrow and qualifying on Saturday.

Following the terror attack at the Manchester Arena on Monday night, British team Williams paid their respects with a #Manchester sticker on the front of their cars.

Both Hamilton's Mercedes team, which operates out of Brixworth and Brackley in Northamptonshire as well as Stuttgart, and Woking-based McLaren, will also run the hashtag on their chassis either later this afternoon or from qualifying onwards.

Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas was fourth in the order on Thursday ahead of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who started on pole position here last year.

Britain's Jolyon Palmer, desperately in need of a strong weekend after a dour start to his campaign, was 17th for Renault, 2.5 sec adrift.