Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc Makes Key Technical Change Following Monaco Nightmare

• Charles Leclerc will switch to Carbon Industrie brakes, following Lewis Hamilton’s setup, after blaming brake issues for his difficult Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
• The Ferrari driver claimed three of his four brakes were either partially functioning or not working at all during the race, despite Brembo disputing his assessment after the event.
• While Leclerc does not expect a dramatic transformation, he believes the revised brake configuration could improve performance in specific race situations as he looks to revive his season.

After a nightmare home race weekend in Monaco, Charles Leclerc has opted to change brake suppliers to match teammate Lewis Hamilton’s setup.

The Ferrari driver was vocal following the Monaco Grand Prix after crashes in qualifying and again with 14 laps remaining in the race while running third. Much of his frustration centred on the SF-26’s brake package.

Brake supplier Brembo refuted Leclerc’s claims after the Monaco Grand Prix. However, the 28-year-old has now opted to follow Hamilton’s technical direction by switching to Carbon Industrie brakes.

After the race, Leclerc pointed to the brakes as a key issue, saying:

“Out of the four brakes, I had three brakes not working. So in a Formula 1 car, it’s never a good thing.

“The front left was working well, the front right was half working, and the two rear brakes were not working at all. And when I say at all, it’s that on data, there’s no deceleration at all. It’s like the calipers were not even in the car.”

The choice of brake supplier in Formula 1 is largely down to driver preference, with neither manufacturer holding a clear performance advantage over the other.

Speaking ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Leclerc emphasised how painful the Monaco weekend had been, while stressing the need to move forward.

“Monaco hurts, but it’s the way it is now. I cannot change that anymore and I’ve got to look forward.

“The last two weekends have been very tough for me. Overall, I think going forward we’ll change slightly the configuration of how we run our brakes.

“To go more into the detail is tricky for me. We’ll see – I don’t think it’s going to be a revolution, but in certain times of the race I will expect a change.”

Leclerc sits fourth in the championship standings behind Mercedes duo Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, while teammate Hamilton separates the two Silver Arrows drivers. The Monegasque began the season strongly with two podiums in the opening three races but has not finished in the top three since Japan.

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade. Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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