Leclerc blames Ferrari's brakes after the crash in Monaco, Brembo urges caution until data analysis
Charles Leclerc left the Monaco Grand Prix with a wrecked Ferrari and one of the most difficult explanations a driver can give after going off: according to him, at the crucial moment, three of his four brakes were not working properly. The Monegasque driver hit the protective barrier in the closing stages of the race, at the restart after a safety car period, while he was fighting for a podium place. The official Formula 1 website stated that the incident occurred in the final corner, Anthony Noghès, after an earlier collision by Lance Stroll had caused the race to be neutralized. Leclerc immediately told the team over the radio that he was not taking the blame for what had happened, and later, in front of reporters, claimed that the situation in the cockpit had been impossible to control. Ferrari confirmed that it would analyze the problem, while its long-time supplier of braking systems, Brembo, stated that it was too early to draw final technical conclusions without reviewing the telemetry and data from the car.
A crash in a corner that was already under scrutiny
The race in Monaco on June 7, 2026 had already been marked by stoppages, penalties and technical problems even before Leclerc's retirement. According to Formula 1's official report, Lance Stroll had earlier crashed into the barrier at the Anthony Noghès corner, which triggered the deployment of the safety car and a series of pit stops. When the race resumed, Leclerc went straight into the barrier at the same part of the track, after which the safety car was brought out again, followed by a red flag because the track and damage to the asphalt surface needed to be inspected. The incident was particularly painful for Ferrari because Leclerc was driving in the podium zone, while Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari remained in the race and eventually finished second.
The FIA's final classification shows that Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes won after 78 laps, ahead of Hamilton and Isack Hadjar, while Leclerc remained unclassified after completing 64 laps. In the final order, Fernando Alonso entered the points in tenth place after a post-race penalty for Sergio Perez, and among the drivers who did not finish the race were Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas, Stroll and Carlos Sainz. Such an outcome further strengthened the impression that Monaco was one of the messiest races of the season so far. For Leclerc, however, the wider chaos of the race remained overshadowed by the technical problem that he claims left him with no real choice when entering the final corner.
Leclerc claims the rear brakes completely disappeared
After retiring, Leclerc gave an unusually precise description of the problem. According to Motorsport.com, he said that of the four brakes, only the front-left was working well, the front-right was working partially, and the two rear brakes were providing no deceleration at all. In the same statement, he said the data showed that there was no deceleration on the rear axle, describing the feeling as if the calipers had not even been on the car. Such a claim is extremely serious because the braking system in Formula 1 is not only a matter of stopping power, but also of car stability when entering a corner, balance between the front and rear axles, and the driver's confidence in the braking point.
According to Leclerc's explanation, the problem suddenly worsened after the safety car period. He said he tried several changes in the car to bring the brakes back into their operating window, but that nothing helped. His claim that the only alternative was not to brake in the final corner, which would have taken him into the wall anyway or into trouble at the first corner, explains why he described the incident as a situation with no solution. The official Formula 1 website reported that Leclerc called the condition unacceptable and impossible to manage, noting that he had already spoken during the previous days of the weekend about braking problems and a lack of feeling in the car.
Ferrari admits something was not working as it should
Ferrari did not publicly state the final technical cause of the failure, but after the race it admitted that there had been problems with the brakes during the weekend. According to Formula 1's team quotes feature, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur said that Leclerc's outcome was very frustrating and that "something obviously was not working as it should". Vasseur added that the team would carefully analyze the situation, understand exactly what happened and solve the problem before the race in Barcelona. In the same article, Leclerc stated that he had had a problem with the rear brakes in the final corner and that the positive side of the weekend was that Ferrari had a solution and would adapt the brake configuration.
That part of the story is especially important because it raises the question of why the change was not introduced earlier. According to the official Formula 1 website, Leclerc said that Ferrari has different configurations on the two cars and that the team had found a solution, but that in Monaco he had not wanted to change the system because on such a track he preferred brakes he knew. In doing so, he partly accepted responsibility for the decision to keep the previous configuration, but not for the crash itself. His message after the race was that from the next race he would switch to the configuration used by Hamilton, with the expectation that it would give him a more stable feeling under braking.
Hamilton's approach now becomes Leclerc's option
Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari also opened up a technical topic that recurred throughout 2025 and 2026 in analyses by specialist media: brake feel and adaptation to different braking components. Motor Sport Magazine stated that during his career at Mercedes, Hamilton developed a highly specific braking style, relying on a very clear initial pedal bite and a feeling for the front axle. The same source writes that the seven-time world champion had long sought changes at Ferrari in order to get a feel closer to the one he was used to, and that the issue of brakes became sensitive because of the historically strong connection between Ferrari and Brembo. According to Motor Sport Magazine, from the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton received Carbone Industrie discs at Ferrari, from the manufacturer with which he had worked for years at Mercedes.
Leclerc did not go into all the technical details in Monaco, but he made it clear that he would move closer to Hamilton's direction. According to Motorsport.com, he said that Ferrari had a solution "in house" and that from the next race he would switch to Lewis's configuration. In practical terms, this means that Ferrari must now quickly assess not only whether this was a failure, wear, temperature issue or a specific combination of components, but also how the change will affect Leclerc's driving style. For drivers at this level, nuances in pedal feel can change the braking point, stability when entering a corner and confidence when attacking the edge of the track. That is why switching to a different braking feel is not just replacing a part, but a change in the way a driver builds a lap.
Brembo rejects quick conclusions
Brembo reacted unusually directly after Leclerc's statements. According to a statement carried by Speedcafe and other specialist media, the Italian company said it was surprised by the Ferrari driver's comments after the Monaco Grand Prix. The statement emphasized that Brembo currently does not know the causes of the problems Leclerc experienced and that it considers it premature to draw final technical conclusions before analyzing the available data. The company added that in such cases it is necessary to review telemetry together with the team's engineers in order to determine the exact origin of the incident.
Brembo also recalled that its cooperation with Scuderia Ferrari has lasted for more than 50 years and that it also relates to other brands within the group, including AP Racing and Öhlins. In the same statement, the company emphasized that it is present on all cars on the grid through different braking technologies and that teams continue to choose its solutions because of reliability, innovation and performance. Such a response does not directly refute Leclerc's description of what he felt in the car, but it clearly signals that the supplier does not accept a simple explanation before it is established whether the problem was caused by components, their configuration, temperature, wear, hydraulics, system settings or some other factor.
Why brakes are an especially sensitive topic in Monaco
Monaco is a track where drivers are almost never forgiven for a mistake. The streets of Monte Carlo are narrow, run-off areas are almost non-existent, and the final corner leads directly onto the main straight, which means even slight instability under braking can end with an impact into the barrier. In its own technical preview of Monaco, Brembo states that the track is not among the most demanding for brakes in terms of overall load, but that does not mean it is simple for the driver. The lap is short, the pace is constant, the brakes must be kept in the appropriate temperature window, and every safety car period can change the temperature of the tyres and brakes. Leclerc claimed precisely that the key drop occurred after the race neutralization, when the rhythm changed suddenly.
For Ferrari, the additional problem is that Leclerc had already complained during the weekend that he did not know exactly where he could brake with confidence. The official Formula 1 website reported after qualifying that the Monegasque had spoken about a very difficult feeling in the car, while earlier in Canada he had also had difficulties with the same area of performance. In Monaco, he finished fourth in qualifying, even though Ferrari had looked very competitive in free practice. This shows that the car's basic speed was not necessarily the main problem, but rather the consistency and confidence of the driver when extracting the maximum. When such a problem carries over into the race and worsens after a safety car, the consequences on a track like Monaco can be immediate.
The first real test of the solution follows in Barcelona
According to the official Formula 1 calendar, the next race is held from June 12 to 14, 2026 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. For Ferrari, that weekend will have double value: the team must try to continue the podium streak that Hamilton achieved with second place in Canada and Monaco, but also check whether Leclerc, with a changed configuration, can regain confidence in the front and rear end of the car. Barcelona is technically different from Monaco, with longer corners, higher speeds and clearer references for comparing pace, so it could offer a better answer to the question of whether the problem was specific to street conditions or more deeply connected to the configuration of Ferrari's braking system.
In terms of points, Leclerc's DNF came at a very inconvenient moment. According to Motorsport.com, after Monaco Hamilton jumped to second place in the drivers' standings with 90 points, while Leclerc was fourth with 75. Antonelli further strengthened his lead with the victory, and Ferrari left Monaco with a podium, but also with a missed opportunity for a large double points haul. Vasseur stressed that the mood within the team remains positive and that the development direction is good, but Leclerc's case now requires a quick and precise reaction. Until Ferrari and Brembo finish analyzing the data, the officially confirmed cause of the incident remains open, but the consequence is already clear: from Barcelona, Leclerc is changing his approach to the brakes, and Ferrari enters the next weekend with one of the most important technical topics of the season.
Sources:
- Formula 1 – report on the race in Monaco, the safety car, Leclerc's crash and Kimi Antonelli's victory (link)
- FIA – final classification of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix and penalty data (link)
- Formula 1 – Leclerc's statements about the "impossible" brake situation after retiring in Monaco (link)
- Formula 1 – statements from Ferrari, Leclerc, Hamilton and Frédéric Vasseur after the race (link)
- Motorsport.com – details of Leclerc's claim that three of four brakes were not working and the announcement of a switch to Hamilton's configuration (link)
- Speedcafe – Brembo's statement on the need to analyze telemetry before final technical conclusions (link)
- Motor Sport Magazine – expert context on Hamilton's brake feel, Ferrari's changes and Ferrari's historical connection with Brembo (link)
- Formula 1 – official calendar of the 2026 season and the Barcelona-Catalunya race date from June 12 to 14 (link)