Jun.9 (GMM) Charles Leclerc’s furious Monaco outburst may have unfairly placed all the blame on Brembo, according to fresh analysis from Italy.
The Ferrari driver exploded after crashing out of a podium position in Monaco, insisting he would not “take the f*cking blame” for what he described as severe and ongoing brake problems.
The controversy grew when Brembo issued a rare public statement saying it was “very surprised” by Leclerc’s comments and warning it was too early to draw conclusions before analysing the data.
Now respected La Gazzetta dello Sport technical analyst Paolo Filisetti believes the reality could be far more complicated than a simple brake failure.
“Specifically, the cause and the solution could coincide,” Filisetti wrote.
“It seems likely to be a combination of factors and adjustments specifically related to the energy regeneration system on the rear brakes and the operating temperature range of the discs and pads.”
The introduction of Formula 1’s heavily electrified 2026 regulations means braking systems are now more closely intertwined with energy recovery than ever before.
Filisetti noted that Monaco’s unique circumstances may have made matters worse. “It seems fair not to underestimate the fact that, just this weekend, the FIA chose to reduce the power output of the electrical system for safety reasons,” he explained.
According to the Italian, reduced energy recovery combined with Monaco’s low average speeds may have left Leclerc’s rear brakes operating below their ideal temperature range.
“Too cold and, therefore, unable to ensure high friction between the discs and pads,” he explained.
“Deep braking at the end of the straights is almost totally absent on this track.”
Filisetti stressed that telemetry analysis will ultimately determine exactly what happened, but pointed to one significant clue.
Lewis Hamilton experienced no such issues after switching brake configurations several races ago.
“The fact that Hamilton did not encounter any issues, while Leclerc repeatedly stated over the weekend that he had less than perfect braking feel, suggests that the solution adopted for three races on Lewis’ car prevented the same problem from recurring,” he said.
Leclerc has already confirmed he will adopt Hamilton’s setup – reportedly Carbon Industrie-supplied components – from Barcelona onwards.
The fallout extended beyond the paddock.
Brembo shares fell from 11.21 euros before the Monaco weekend to 11.04 when trading resumed on Monday, a drop of about 1.5 percent.
Former Formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov, meanwhile, doubts the brakes were solely responsible for the crash at all.
“I don’t think it was Leclerc’s problems with his brakes,” he said on Telegram.
Petrov believes the Ferrari driver may have picked up large amounts of rubber ‘marbles’, while a breaking-up track surface may also have contributed to Lance Stroll’s similar crash.
“He simply couldn’t turn,” the Russian said of Leclerc. “The second thing was the damaged asphalt.”
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