The Ferrari driver crashed out on lap 65 at the final corner in a chaotic finish to the race, triggering a safety car and a red flag after a similar incident just laps earlier when Lance Stroll also hit the barriers at the same section of track, with concerns over the circuit surface also under scrutiny.
Leclerc, however, was adamant the incident was beyond his control, pointing directly at the braking system when asked what went wrong.
“Brakes. It doesn’t help to have asphalt that is coming off but data speaks for itself,” he said.
The Monegasque driver was unusually forceful in rejecting any suggestion of driver error and instead described a recurring technical issue that has followed him in recent races.
“I’ve always been very honest, and no matter how many mistakes I do, I would hate to look at myself in the mirror and see myself finding excuses when I do a mistake,” Leclerc explained.
“That’s why I’m always bluntly honest whenever I’m in front of cameras, but I’m not going to take any of it today.”
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He went on to detail just how severe the problem had become inside the cockpit, claiming the car’s braking performance was fundamentally inconsistent.
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“It’s not even braking,” he said.
“I touch the brakes and there’s just something with those brakes.
“On the front brakes, it just locked a lot more than what I thought, and in the rear brakes, it had no deceleration at all. It was like I had no rear brakes at all.”
Leclerc said the issue had been building since the Canadian Grand Prix, but Monaco’s low grip conditions exposed it at its worst, particularly on cold tyres.
“That’s what I’m dealing with since two races now,” he said.
“With cold tyre temperatures, the inconsistency and tyres being more sensitive because you are on the limit, have just been an absolute nightmare.”
The Ferrari driver was also blunt about the public perception of the crash, admitting the situation left him exposed.
“I look like an idiot,” he admitted.
“And when you look like an idiot for a mistake of yours, it’s fine, but it’s borderline dangerous.”
Leclerc added that Ferrari has already identified a fix, revealing he will switch to a brake specification closer to team-mate Lewis Hamilton from the next race in an attempt to eliminate the inconsistency.
“We do have the solution and I will go into Lewis’ direction from next race onwards, and that will solve the issues I deal with,” he said.
“Maybe Lewis’ configuration has other issues, but I just need consistency at that point.”
Ferrari now faces pressure to ensure the change resolves a problem that has clearly eroded Leclerc’s confidence during a difficult stretch of the season which has seen him drop behind Hamilton in the drivers’ championship after back-to-back second place finishes for the seven-time world champion.
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