Charles Leclerc attacks Ferrari’s brakes: the retort is piqued
Charles Leclerc experienced a nightmarish weekend in his Monte Carlo, damaging his Ferrari already during qualifying after a contact with the wall and then ending the Monaco Grand Prix with a bitter retirement after crashing into the barriers in the corner dedicated to Anthony Noghés. Two mishaps that the Cavallino driver at the end of the race attributed to the brakes mounted on his SF-26, declining any personal responsibility. Aspect that generated, a few hours later, the retort from Brembo.
“The Brembo Group – reads an official statement from the Bergamo-based company – expresses great astonishment for what happened to Charles Leclerc during the Monaco Grand Prix and is very surprised by the statements made by the driver after the race. The partnership between Brembo and Scuderia Ferrari has been going on for more than 50 years and also extends to other Group brands, such as AP Racing clutches and Öhlins shock absorbers, confirming the solidity and breadth of the collaboration.”
“The company,” Brembo continues in its note, “does not currently know the causes of the problems encountered by Charles Leclerc and therefore considers it premature to make definitive technical evaluations before analyzing the available data. In cases such as this, it is indeed necessary to examine the telemetry data together with the team’s engineers in order to precisely identify the origin of the episode.”
Even more solemn, and in some ways piquant, are the words with which the statement closes: “Brembo is today a point of reference for Formula 1 and is present on all single-seaters with its own braking technologies. Over the years, World Championship teams have continued to choose Brembo solutions, recognizing their reliability, innovation and performance at the highest levels. The Group will continue to invest in innovation, reliability and performance, continuing its collaboration with Scuderia Ferrari and all the other Formula 1 teams.”
In detail, the accident occurred at the Anthony Noghés corner, the last one on the Monaco track, during the restart following the Safety Car that entered the track due to Lance Stroll’s accident. Leclerc, who was currently in third position behind Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton, had signaled a brake problem over the radio before going slightly wide into the corner, ending up on the dirty part of the asphalt and impacting the barriers without being able to correct his trajectory. The impact damaged the guards, necessitating the display of the red flag to restore the track’s safety conditions.
At the microphones of ‘Sky Sport,’ Leclerc had precisely explained the nature of the problem charged: “I’m not the type to make excuses or hide behind alibis. Even reviewing the data, it is clear that I could not have done anything. When I was braking, the behavior of the car was abnormal: at the rear there seemed to be no braking, while at the front the response was excessive. The temperatures were not correct and the brakes were not working as they should. A dangerous situation.” However, the Ferrari driver pointed out that the team has already identified a way forward: from the next race it will adopt the same braking configuration chosen by Lewis Hamilton in the last three outings.
This is not the first time Leclerc has had to deal with brake system anomalies on his Ferrari. Back in the Bahrain Grand Prix of 2024, the Monegasque had complained of a similar problem, complaining of a colossal temperature difference between the two front discs, measurable at as much as 100 degrees Celsius. On that occasion, both the Scuderia and Brembo launched a joint investigation, as the malfunction had never previously occurred on the Maranello car. “Horrible to drive in those conditions. When you have a problem like that you always feel like you’re driving badly, whatever you do,” the driver had said at the time. A story that, two years later, seems to be repeating itself with disturbing punctuality.
Leclerc’s retirement actually paved the way for the triumph of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who took his fifth consecutive victory by dominating all 78 laps of the Grand Prix with a complete Grand Chelem: pole position, fastest lap and success from start to finish. Also on the podium were Lewis Hamilton, second, and Isack Hadjar for Red Bull, in his first podium finish of the season. For Antonelli, this is a historic record: he is the first driver to score five wins in a row in his second year in Formula 1, further consolidating his leadership in the World Championship.
