Charles Leclerc has no response to Brembo’s statement, ahead of switch of brakes to align with Lewis Hamilton at F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP.
Before Leclerc spoke in a print media session at 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP, Ferrari teammate Hamilton noted the change of brakes on his side of the garage from Japanese GP onward which the Monegasque didn’t opt for. The Brit uses the combination of Brembo (calipers) and Carbon Industrie (discs and pads).
After struggles in Canada and Monaco, Leclerc will switch to the combination of Hamilton from this weekend’s F1 Barcelona GP to extract the maximum performance. The Monegasque was hugely unhappy how his home event panned out, which resulted in the change.
Hamilton throws light his decision to change parts of his brakes
“Firstly, I changed my brakes in Japan,” said Hamilton in a print media session when asked about the situation around brakes and problems faced by Leclerc. “It’s been something I’d asked for a long time ago. I look at every element of what we have and look to see how we can make it better.
“Ultimately it’s down to driver preparation, preference and feel. Both of us tested the time, the option that I’m racing and Charles didn’t want it in the end. He chose the one he’s on and now he’s changed his mind so it doesn’t make any difference to me.
“That’s again not the single factor that’s made the difference. My goal is to put input that elevates the whole team and Charles is a part of that,” summed up Hamilton, as teammate Leclerc concurred with the Brit’s say about given the option and sticking with his old configuration than move to a new one.
Leclerc agrees with Hamilton, wants consistency but no word on Brembo’s say
“Lewis is right,” said Leclerc. “It was a decision that we made as a team to have the cars split. The last two weekends have been more difficult than what I initially anticipated. Now, we’re going in the direction of Lewis.”
He didn’t wish to comment on Brembo’s statement. “I won’t comment too much about the second part [of the question related to Brembo’s statement],” he said. “I don’t have much more to add on that.”
He only wants consistency.
“I think generally, it’s just you want consistency. That’s all I need,” he continued.
Closed chapter but Leclerc says he doesn’t speaks without checking
On his outburst, Leclerc had nothing more to add and wanted to close the chapter. The Monegasque, though, clarified that he doesn’t speak on things without checking. “No, but yeah, again, I don’t want to speak too much about what happened,” he said.
“I rarely speak quickly, but if I do, it’s because I checked before, so I don’t have much to add.”
For him, it is now to test the new configuration and gain confidence to extract performance like Hamilton is able to. He will be on the backfoot in terms of experience, but he hopes to get a good idea in FP1.
Testing new waters with brakes and other updates in Barcelona
“I think it’s clear now that we are probably going to change a little bit the configuration,” noted Leclerc. “How much it will change, I still have to test it and to see how much it will change. I don’t expect a revolution. However, in some particular cases, I expect it to be easier to manage.
“We’ll obviously see. I will see tomorrow and see how it fits. I think it’s more about taking confidence with the changes we bring. We are bringing a lot of new power this weekend. The team has been pushing massively in trying to bring innovation and new things to the car, which I’m sure will be a benefit.
“I’m looking forward to trying it, along with the things I’ve already commented about. For me, it will be very important to just try and take confidence with whatever is new in the car, and make sure that I manage to maximise the potential of the car coming well,” summed up Leclerc.
