Charles Leclerc crashed out of the Monaco GP while running third, citing a brake failure that left only one of four brakes functioning.
He announced he will adopt teammate Lewis Hamilton's mixed brake setup (Carbon Industries discs with Brembo components) starting from the next race.
Italian brake manufacturer Brembo expressed surprise at Leclerc's criticism, stating it is premature to reach conclusions without analyzing telemetry data with the team.
Lewis Hamilton finished second behind winner Kimi Antonelli, extending Ferrari's podiums despite Mercedes' continued dominance.
On lap 66 of the Monaco Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc lost control of his Ferrari SF-26 under braking for Anthony Noghes corner and struck the barriers. He was running third at the time, behind leader Kimi Antonelli and teammate Lewis Hamilton. After climbing from the car, Leclerc was heard on team radio shouting obscenities about the brakes and refused to take blame. In his post-race media briefing, he detailed persistent brake issues over the last two race weekends, saying the rear brakes did not function at all and describing the pedal response as 'on/off, on/off.'
“The problems with the brakes I've had the last two weekends, it's just impossible to drive. The rear brakes didn't work at all. With cold tyres you need to be even more precise, and it's not that I don't have control, it's that it's impossible to have it. The brakes are on/off, on/off.”
Reports from Italian outlet AutoRacer revealed that the two Ferraris ran different brake configurations in Monaco. Leclerc's car used a full Brembo system, while Hamilton has been using a mixed solution since the Japanese Grand Prix: Carbon Industries discs combined with other Brembo components. Team sources indicated this was not a supplier quality judgment but a personal preference for Hamilton, who had used a similar mix throughout his Mercedes career. Leclerc, frustrated, announced immediately after the race that he would adopt Hamilton's setup.
“The only thing I can say is we have the solution in-house and I will switch to Lewis's configuration from the next race, which hopefully will be a step forward.”
The public blame swiftly drew a statement from Brembo Group, Ferrari's long-time brake supplier. The Italian manufacturer expressed surprise and cautioned against drawing premature conclusions, emphasizing that telemetry data and team engineering analysis were necessary to pinpoint the cause.
“The Brembo Group is truly surprised by the statements made by Charles Leclerc after the Monaco Grand Prix. At present, the company does not know the causes of the problems experienced by Charles Leclerc and therefore considers it premature to draw definitive technical conclusions before analyzing the available data. In cases like this, it is necessary to examine telemetry data together with the team's engineers to determine the precise origin of the incident.”
The incident capped a drama-filled Monaco GP. Max Verstappen retired on the opening lap, and a later crash by Lance Stroll at the same corner triggered a safety car. Ferrari's pit wall called both drivers in, but Hamilton had to serve a penalty, and Leclerc lost extra time queuing behind him—a decision that drew an angry radio message from the Monegasque. After Leclerc's crash, race control red-flagged the race due to deteriorating asphalt at turn 19, pausing the action for over half an hour. Once the race restarted, Antonelli led a Mercedes 1-2 finish, with Hamilton second. Leclerc, who had just extended his Ferrari contract, has not stood on a podium since Japan and now sits fourth in the drivers' standings, 81 points behind Antonelli.
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Charles Leclerc crashed out of the Monaco Grand Prix while running third, then lashed out at Ferrari's brakes, calling the failure 'inacceptable' and vowing to adopt teammate Lewis Hamilton's brake configuration for the next race.
AI text based on reports by BBC, Fanpage, The New York Times and other publishers. Published .