0
Charles Leclerc blamed his brakes for his home race crash in Monaco, prompting a rare and pointed public rebuttal from Ferrari's long-standing brake supplier Brembo. The Monegasque driver crashed on a restart in the closing stages, and immediately pointed to brake failure rather than driver error. Brembo, which has supplied Ferrari for over 50 years, responded with visible surprise, saying it is "premature" to draw any technical conclusions and that Leclerc's comments have caught the company off guard. The public dispute is unusual in a sport where technical partners rarely contradict drivers so directly.
Leclerc's immediate reaction
Leclerc had been chasing a podium finish when the race resumed following a stoppage. Moments earlier, Lance Stroll had slid into the wall at the final corner. Leclerc followed him into the barriers at the same spot, which eventually led to a red flag after the asphalt began to break up. Speaking to Sky Sports immediately after the incident, Leclerc was emphatic about where the fault lay.
Why Patrese expects Leclerc to "land a blow" on Hamilton in Monaco
Why Ocon believes Hamilton stands alone in modern F1
"The brakes. It doesn't help that the asphalt is coming apart, but the data speaks for itself," he said. "I don't know if I can go into the details, but it's very frustrating. I've always been very honest, and however many mistakes I make, I would hate to look in the mirror and see myself making excuses when I make a mistake. That's why I'm always straightforward when I'm in front of the camera, but today I take no responsibility for this."
Brembo's pointed response
Brembo issued a statement shortly afterwards that was both measured and unmistakably firm. "Brembo Group is extremely surprised by the statements made by Charles Leclerc after the race in Monaco," the company said. "The collaboration between Brembo and Scuderia Ferrari has lasted more than fifty years and also extends to other brands within the Group, including AP Racing clutches and Öhlins dampers. This underscores the strength and scope of this long-standing partnership."
The statement went on to make clear that no definitive technical fault had been identified. "At this time, the company is still in the dark about the causes of Leclerc's problems. Brembo therefore considers it premature to draw definitive technical conclusions before the available data has been analysed. In situations like this, it is necessary to examine the telemetry data together with the team's engineers in order to establish the exact cause of the incident."
What it reveals about Ferrari's season
Public disagreements between drivers and suppliers are rare, particularly when the relationship stretches back half a century. Brembo's decision to respond so quickly, and so publicly, suggests real irritation at being named as the culprit before any investigation had taken place. For Leclerc, the crash represented another painful disappointment at his home race, a circuit where Ferrari has struggled to convert pace into results in recent seasons. Whether the data will vindicate his assessment or force a retraction remains to be seen, but the episode has already exposed tension within Ferrari's wider technical operation at a time when margins are tight and blame is easy to assign
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
A. Antonelli
C. Leclerc
10 members have this team as their favourite
Replies (0)
Login to reply