Charles Leclerc stated he looked like an “idiot” after crashing out of his home race in Monaco following a brake issue with his Ferrari car.
Leclerc was positioned in third when a late Lance Stroll crash at the final corner resulted in chaos in Monte-Carlo.
When the race restarted, as the safety car went into the pits, Leclerc inexplicably put his car into the wall in the same spot as Stroll. The race was then red-flagged due to track surface concerns at turn 19, before the race concluded.
However, Leclerc refused to blame the stretch of the circuit and instead laid fault with his Ferrari car and the brakes failing to work.
Asked what the issue was, Leclerc told Sky Sports F1: “Brakes. It doesn’t help to have asphalt coming off, but the data speaks for itself. I don’t know how much I can go into detail.
“I’ve always been honest and no matter how many mistakes I have, I would want to look in the mirror. There’s something with those brakes - front brakes didn’t last too long, it was like I had no rear brakes. It’s what I’m dealing with for two races now.
“I don’t think it’s been a disadvantage for me at all. It’s been an absolute nightmare, I don’t have much words. Today, I look like an idiot.
“When you make a mistake which is yours it’s fine, but today is borderline dangerous.”
Leclerc added that he will look to go into the car direction of teammate Lewis Hamilton – who finished second behind winner Kimi Antonelli – at the next race in Barcelona.
Leclerc, who signed a new contract with Ferrari last week, now lies in fourth place in the drivers’ standings, 15 points off his teammate Hamilton in second.
After finishing second for the second race running, Hamilton said: "On our side we've been progressing over the past few months and can't quite keep up with them just yet and it's probably going to take a lot of work for us to get to their level.
“But to get another second place is such a great feeling, especially in Monaco under the tricky conditions. It was the hardest conditions out there but we've had such a great turnout today. I'll take it.”
