‘Disappointed, sad, angry’ – Leclerc explains painful late retirement in Monaco amid ‘impossible’ brake situation

Charles Leclerc was left to rue ongoing brake problems after dramatically retiring from his home Grand Prix in Monaco, describing the situation as “not acceptable” and “impossible” to manage.

Leclerc held the final podium place for the majority of Sunday’s encounter in the Principality, having gained a spot on the opening lap when Red Bull rival Max Verstappen struggled to pull away from the grid and retired.

However, following a late Safety Car period, the home hero hit trouble at the restart when he went straight on at the final corner – Anthony Noghes – and slid helplessly into the barriers, causing terminal damage to his Ferrari.

When he returned to the paddock to speak to the media, with the frustration clear to see on his face, Leclerc said: “I’m extremely disappointed, sad, angry – a mixture of negative emotions.

“I don’t know how much I can go into the details, but… I don’t think… I mean, it’s just not acceptable. The issues I have faced with my brakes have been… it’s not that it’s difficult, it’s that in this particular moment it’s just impossible.

“I cannot do anything. The only thing I can do is not brake for the last corner, but in an F1 corner not braking in the last corner ends up in the wall anyway. I put the least amount of brakes I could possibly do, and it’s not even braking, it’s leaning my foot on the brake.

“The rear brakes were not working at all, so I don’t know if there was an issue there, or if it’s the inconsistency I get, and the front delivered a lot more than what it should, so that’s what happened.”

Asked about the chances of an improvement in this area for next weekend’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Leclerc added: “We have a fix. We have different configurations between [the Ferrari] cars, and I think we’ve found a solution, so that is positive.

“I didn’t really want to change this weekend, and for that maybe I am to blame in a way that I thought on a track like this, in Monaco, it was good to start with brakes that I knew.

“Considering the issues I’ve dealt with, and that there are no solutions on a track like this, there’s not much to say.”

Leclerc’s team mate, Lewis Hamilton, crossed the line in second position – behind race-winning Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli – to ensure Ferrari did not leave Monte Carlo empty-handed.