“I look like an idiot”: Home hero Leclerc on early Monaco exit

Written by Mia Wallace

Credit: Formula One

In a heartbreaking turn of events, home hero Charles Leclerc was forced to retire from the Monaco Grand Prix. The untimely DNF stemmed from a tumble into the barrier that Leclerc blamed on ongoing brake issues. 

Following Max Verstappen’s early retirement from the race, Leclerc held the final podium slot, a result that would have been well-cherished considering his disappointing qualifying session on Saturday. Disaster soon struck, however, when a late safety car completely reset the grid. 

Leclerc was already angry with the Ferrari wall during the safety car period, expressing his frustration with pitting behind teammate Lewis Hamilton, who had a five-second penalty to serve. 

Moments after the heated radio exchange, Leclerc rejoined the track, only to ram straight into the barriers and end his home race run. Facing the media following the incident, Leclerc was clearly frustrated with much to say.

“I don’t know how much I can go into the details, but… I don’t think… I mean, it’s just not acceptable,” he said. “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.” 

Despite a disappointing result in Monaco, Leclerc was able to offer a somewhat encouraging outlook ahead of next weekend’s race in Barcelona, suggesting that a fix for his braking problems had been found.

“I don't have many words - I look like an idiot. We do have the solution [to the brake issue] and I will go into Lewis' direction from the next race onwards to solve the issues I deal with.

“I just need consistency [with braking], and yeah, that's it.”

Leclerc leaves Monaco sitting fourth in the championship fight, trailing behind George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, and his teammate Lewis Hamilton.