Only fourth on the grid for his home Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc revealed that Ferrari continues to struggle with a recurring problem that has severely affected his driving for several races.
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While he seemed to have the pace to aim for pole position in Monaco, Charles Leclerc will ultimately have to settle for fourth place on the starting grid. The Ferrari driver experienced a contrasting qualifying session, marked by an error during his first attempt in Q3 and then by contact with the rail in the final moments of the session.
The Monegasque had nevertheless managed to temporarily regain the lead after a particularly strong second attempt. But the competition from Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton ultimately pushed the Ferrari driver off the front row.
On his final fast lap, Leclerc touched the wall at the Tabac corner, prematurely ending his hopes of securing pole in front of his home crowd.
A persistent problem that worries Ferrari
Beyond the raw result, it is above all the condition of his car that concerns Leclerc. For several weeks, the Ferrari driver has been mentioning recurring braking difficulties, which already appeared during the Canadian Grand Prix.
These problems seem far from being resolved and continue to disrupt his feeling behind the wheel of the SF-26.
“What I don’t understand today is precisely this problem we are currently having,” explained the Monegasque driver.
According to him, every braking has become a real unknown, making the exploitation of the car particularly delicate.
“Every time I brake, it’s almost a discovery. I don’t want to go into all the details, but the behavior is extremely inconsistent. I’m having a lot of trouble with this, whether in Montreal or here in Monaco.”
A too narrow operating window
Leclerc also emphasizes that these difficulties become even more pronounced when the tires are not in their optimal operating range. In a circuit as demanding as Monaco, where precision is essential at every corner, the slightest variation in behavior can have significant consequences.
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“When the tires are not in the right window, it’s even more complicated. In addition to that, the inconsistency of the car makes things very difficult.”
The Ferrari driver insists that it is not major defects that explain his difficulties, but rather an accumulation of small details that ultimately cost a lot on a qualifying lap.
“We’re talking about details, but constantly being at the limit of this operating window changes a lot of things. These small elements make a huge difference and I’ve been struggling with this for several races.”
A final lap on the limit
Despite these difficulties, Leclerc believes that his ultimate attempt had the potential to fight for pole position. Until his error, he judged his lap to be particularly competitive.
“That last lap was really on the limit. I even think it was a very good lap until I couldn’t finish it.”
The Ferrari driver also explained that he suffered a slight aerodynamic disturbance in the fast Tabac corner. Without being directly hindered by a car in front of him, he believes that the disturbed air was enough to destabilize the rear of his car.
“I had a bit of dirty air on that lap. There wasn’t really any traffic, but it was enough to make the rear step out slightly on corner entry.”
Under these conditions, fourth place almost appears as damage limitation for Leclerc. It remains to be seen whether Ferrari will manage to resolve these mysterious braking problems before the race, where overtakes are traditionally rare in the streets of Monaco.
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