Italian press on Leclerc's brake problem

      Last Sunday, Charles Leclerc did not finish the Monaco Grand Prix – this is the third time this has happened in his career, and in 2021 he was unable to start in his home race at all. Back then, the transmission failed on his Ferrari, and this time the problem arose with the brakes – at least, that's what the driver claims, although the well-known Italian company Brembo was unpleasantly surprised that Leclerc publicly stated this before any investigation was conducted.

      Yesterday's race ended prematurely for Charles; on lap 65, he crashed into the barrier at the last corner of the track, after which he categorically called such an accident unacceptable and regarding its causes said: "The brakes on three of the four wheels didn't work."

      He also explained that the problems were related to low temperatures, primarily of the rear brakes and to some extent the front ones. When he pressed the pedal, the car's speed decreased clearly insufficiently, and reflecting on the consequences of the incident, Charles also acknowledged that Ferrari had already found a solution to the problem, but he personally preferred to postpone its implementation until the next stage – the race in Barcelona.

      At the same time, Lewis Hamilton has been using the mentioned solution for three consecutive races and in all three cases outpaced his teammate.

      If Italian sources are to be believed, the SF-26 of the seven-time world champion is equipped with brake discs of a different specification – not the same as those Leclerc has been using until now. Ferrari's brake systems are traditionally supplied by Brembo, but car number 44 uses discs produced by Carbon Industries – Hamilton has dealt with this manufacturer for many years while racing for Mercedes.

      Moreover, it cannot be said that his choice was dictated by efficiency considerations – it was simply important for Lewis to achieve some more familiar sensations, and judging by his recent results, he was right.

      Allegedly, Ferrari initially resisted, not wanting to change anything, as the Italian team has long-standing business relations with Brembo, but Lewis insisted and ultimately got his way: after the Japanese Grand Prix, Carbon Industries brake discs were installed on his car.

      It is likely that this is what Leclerc was referring to yesterday in Monaco: "We already have a solution to this problem, and starting from the next race, my car will be in roughly the same configuration as Lewis's car... I do not rule out that there may be some other difficulties, but right now I just need to achieve stability."

      The author of the text in Gazzetta dello Sport suggests that the accident in Monaco was caused by an unfortunate combination of circumstances, including specific settings of the energy recovery system, which affected the temperature of the rear brakes.

      In the 2026 cars, energy recovery occurs through the MGU-K motor-generator, for which two modes are provided: one is activated when the driver releases the throttle, the other when pressing the brake pedal. It should also be noted that at the Monaco stage, the FIA decided to reduce the power of the electrical systems of the power unit for safety reasons.

      In fact, this reduced the efficiency of the energy recovery process during braking concerning the rear brakes. Accordingly, this could have affected their operating temperature, and when they are too cold, they operate less effectively. Moreover, the average speeds on the Monaco track are already quite low, and there are minimal intense braking at the end of straight sections, and all this could also have been an additional factor.

      As the author of the text emphasizes, he is sharing only his own assumptions, and such hypotheses require confirmation, which is only possible after analyzing telemetry data, which Ferrari is already doing together with Brembo specialists.

      However, it is quite possible that Ferrari's engineers already know this, and this is what Leclerc hinted at after yesterday's accident when he mentioned that starting from the next stage of the season, his car would be equipped with brakes in the same configuration as his teammate's SF-26.