Leclerc Reflects On Monaco Crash Amid Brake Failures And Frustration

Charles Leclerc’s hopes of a home podium at the Monaco Grand Prix collapsed when a late crash and braking issues dropped the Ferrari driver out of contention, while Kimi Antonelli won the restarted race and Lewis Hamilton finished second to move ahead of Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship standings.

Leclerc had been running third when the Ferrari went straight on at Turn 19, moments after Lance Stroll had hit the same barriers, bringing out red flags as race control halted the Grand Prix so officials could repair damaged asphalt and restore the circuit for the closing stages.

After the restart, Antonelli controlled the lead and took victory ahead of Hamilton, whose result lifted Hamilton above Leclerc in the championship, leaving Leclerc fourth overall and clearly upset when describing how the braking problems emerged and how the episode felt “borderline dangerous” in the closing laps around Monte-Carlo.

Leclerc stressed that the braking behaviour, rather than track condition, explained the crash, even though the surface had been damaged where Stroll and Leclerc both went off, and Leclerc insisted the data supported that view while still acknowledging some responsibility for the mistake at his home event.

“Brakes. It doesn’t help to have asphalt that is coming off, but data speaks for itself. I don’t know how much I can go into detail,” Leclerc conceded.”It’s extremely frustrating. I’ve always been very honest, no matter how many mistakes I make, I would hate to look at myself in the mirror and see myself finding excuses when I make a mistake.”

Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix continued a difficult pattern for Leclerc at home, with this latest retirement becoming the fourth non-finish in Monte-Carlo, adding to separate setbacks in 2018, 2019 and 2021 that had already created a troubled personal record at the street circuit for the Ferrari driver.

Back in 2018, Leclerc’s first Formula 1 Monaco appearance ended with a crash caused by a brake disc failure, while in 2019 Leclerc picked up early floor damage in the Grand Prix that forced retirement, and in 2021 Leclerc qualified on pole but could not start the race after a qualifying crash.

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Leclerc later explained that braking trouble had actually begun during the first safety car period caused by Stroll’s earlier accident, outlining how the behaviour of the system changed suddenly and never recovered despite multiple attempts from inside the cockpit to correct the problem during slow laps.

“As soon as I did the safety car, three of my four brakes stopped working,” Leclerc added. “I could never switch them on again; nothing was working anymore. I tried to do many actions in the car to try and help it. The only solution I had was to not brake in the last corner, but I would have crashed in Turn 1. There was just no solution. I don’t know if it was a wear issue. Its often a problem here. I don’t know what it was, but there was a clear issue.”

Charles Leclerc Monaco Grand Prix reaction and Ferrari tyre struggles

“It’s not even braking. I touched the brakes and there was just something with them. We’ve had some differences with brakes in between cars, but I don’t think it’s been a disadvantage for me at all. But here and in Montreal with cold tyre temperatures, the inconsistency and the tyres being more sensitive because you’re on the limit, it’s just been an absolute nightmare. I’m weighing my words. I don’t have many words. I looked like an idiot. When you look like an idiot for a mistake of your own, it’s fine. It’s borderline dangerous.”

Leclerc also pointed to recent races in Monaco and Montreal, where cold tyre temperatures exposed inconsistent braking response on the Ferrari, and described how that sensitivity left Leclerc feeling short of confidence as small errors could lead straight to the barriers on narrow street circuits.

With Antonelli’s victory, Hamilton’s second place and Leclerc’s retirement, the weekend reshaped the front group of the Drivers’ Championship and extended Leclerc’s difficult relationship with the Monaco Grand Prix, while Ferrari must now investigate the braking issue that appeared under the safety car before the crash ended Leclerc’s race.