Charles Leclerc escalates dispute with Ferrari brake supplier Brembo after criticism following Monaco GP crash | F1 News

Ferrari’s brake suppliers Brembo have expressed their “surprise” at Charles Leclerc’s criticism of their brakes after he described his car as “borderline dangerous” following his Monaco Grand Prix crash on Sunday.

Leclerc was left fuming after exiting his home race on the restart following a safety car period, at which point he was about to finish third.

The Monegasque also crashed in qualifying the day before, and after both incidents it was suggested that the car’s brakes rather than his driving were to blame.

His struggles at his home race, where he is a professional and has taken three laps, followed a disappointing weekend at the previous round in Canada where he finished eighth and finished fourth – behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton in both cases.

Talking to Sky Sports F1 after Sunday’s race, Leclerc said: “I don’t know how much I can explain. It’s very frustrating. I’ve always been honest, and no matter how many mistakes I make, I’d hate to look in the mirror and see myself making excuses when I make a mistake.

“That’s why I always stay honest when I’m in front of the cameras, but I won’t take it anywhere [responsibility for the crash] today.

“It’s not even the braking. I’m touching the brakes and there’s just something with those brakes that… on the front brakes, they broke more than I thought they would, and on the back brakes, they weren’t going down at all. It was like I had no back brakes at all.

“That’s what I’ve been dealing with for two races now. We’ve had brake splits between cars, but I don’t think it’s been a bad thing for me, but here in Montreal the cold tire temperatures, the tension and the tires are very sensitive because the limit, it’s just been a nightmare.

“And I measure my words. I don’t have many words today. I look like an idiot. And if you look like an idiot for your mistake, that’s fine, but it’s borderline dangerous.”

Leclerc said on Saturday that he and the team had a solution to resolve the issue by next weekend’s round in Barcelona, ​​​​​​​​and he confirmed on Sunday that would mean switching to the same brake setup as Hamilton, who scored back-to-back points.

“We have a solution, and I will get into Lewis’s path from the next race and that will solve the problems I am facing,” added Leclerc.

“Maybe Lewis’ configuration has other problems, but I just need to be consistent at the moment, and that’s it.”

Supplier accuses Leclerc of drawing ‘premature’ conclusion

Leclerc’s comments prompted a swift response from Brembo, with the brake supplier releasing a statement on Sunday evening accusing the driver of reaching a “premature” technical conclusion.

The statement said: “The Brembo Group is really surprised by Charles Leclerc’s comments after the F1 Monaco Grand Prix.”

“The partnership between Brembo and Scuderia Ferrari has spanned more than 50 years and extends to other brands within the group, including AP Racing clutches and Ohlins dampers, confirming the strength and scope of this long-standing partnership.

“Currently, the company does not know the causes of the problems that Charles Leclerc faced, so it considers it too early to make specific technical conclusions before the available data is analyzed.

“In cases like these, it is necessary to check the telemetry data and the engineers of the team to properly determine the origin of the incident.

“Brembo is an F1 brand and is present in every car on the grid through its braking technology. Over the years, F1 teams have continued to choose Brembo solutions, recognizing their reliability, innovation and high performance.

“The team will continue to invest in new funds, reliability and performance, while continuing its partnership with Scuderia Ferrari and all other F1 teams.”

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