F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Charles Leclerc fumes at Ferrari for making him look like an ‘idiot’

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

Monaco Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc fumes at Ferrari for making him look like an ‘idiot’ at Monaco Grand Prix

It was a hearbreaking end to Leclerc's home race

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 8 June 2026 09:58

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Ferrari F1 star Charles Leclerc unleashed his fury to the media after he crashed out of the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Monegasque star was in contention for a podium finish throughout his home race, entering the weekend as one of the favourites in the Ferrari.

That all changed, however, when Lance Stroll crashed on lap 60 and prompted a safety car. While Leclerc managed to pit for fresh tyres, his race came undone on the restart when he suddenly found himself in the wall, at the exact same spot Stroll had crashed moments earlier.

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Instantly, Leclerc blamed his car, and cried over team radio: "Honestly I’m not even going to take the f***ing blame. These f***ing brakes!"

A red flag was soon thrown to suspend the race, as the FIA attended the scene of the crash and found the tarmac breaking up at the final corner.

After a 37-minute delay, the final 10 laps of the race finally got underway without Leclerc. His Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton was unable to overtake Kimi Antonelli for the lead, but nonetheless the seven-time champion once again finished on the podium in second.

As a result, Hamilton has not only usurped his team-mate in the championship standings, but now also sits second and above George Russell.

Leclerc has been overtaken by Hamilton in the F1 standings.

F1 RESULTS: Monaco GP race times and positions

Leclerc: 'I look like an idiot'

Leclerc cut an extremely defeated figure in the media pen after his crash, having not just lost out on a potential podium but the race victory as well.

When asked by Sky Sports' Natalie Pinkham what caused the crash, Leclerc responded: "Brakes. It doesn’t help to have asphalt that is coming off but data speaks for itself.

“I don’t know how much I can go into the detail. It’s extremely frustrating. 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.

“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 (responsibility for the crash) today.

“It’s not even braking. I touch the brakes and there’s just something with those brakes that… on the front brakes, it just broke 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.

“That’s what I’m dealing with since two races now. We’ve had some differences of brakes between cars, but I don’t think it’s been a disadvantage for me at all, but here and in Montreal with cold tyre temperatures, the inconsistency and tyres being more sensitive because you are on the limit, have just been an absolute nightmare.

“And I’m weighing my words. I don’t have much words today. I look like an idiot. And when you look like an idiot for a mistake of yours, it’s fine, but it’s borderline dangerous.

“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. Maybe Lewis’ configuration has other issues, but I just need consistency at that point, and that’s it.”

F1 Ferrari Charles Leclerc Monaco Grand Prix