Brembo has issued an official response to Charles Leclerc’s criticism following the Monaco Grand Prix, but the story appears to involve more than initially meets the eye. Behind the controversy lies a surprising revelation regarding the brake discs Lewis Hamilton has reportedly been using for several races, a solution that Charles Leclerc could also adopt starting from the Spanish Grand Prix.
After Leclerc’s strong comments regarding the braking issues that contributed to his Monaco retirement, Brembo released an official statement addressing the matter. However, further details have since emerged, including reports that Lewis Hamilton has been using brake discs produced by a different manufacturer, despite Ferrari’s long-standing partnership with the Italian company.
“The Brembo Group is very surprised by the statements made by Charles Leclerc following the Monaco Grand Prix,” the company said. “The partnership between Brembo and Scuderia Ferrari has lasted for more than 50 years and also extends to other Group brands, such as AP Racing clutches and Öhlins dampers, confirming the strength and breadth of the collaboration.
“At present, the company is not aware of the causes behind the problems experienced by Charles Leclerc and therefore believes it is premature to make definitive technical assessments before analysing the available data. In situations such as this, it is necessary to examine the telemetry data together with the team’s engineers in order to accurately identify the origin of the incident.”
The statement, released on Sunday evening, immediately sparked debate regarding both the issue itself and the decision to publicly respond. While the Ferrari-Brembo relationship spans decades, it is not the first time the Scuderia has encountered braking-related difficulties, whether involving overheating or inconsistent brake performance.
However, a fascinating development has now emerged regarding Ferrari’s brake setup, with Lewis Hamilton playing a central role and Charles Leclerc potentially set to follow the same path.
Hamilton has reportedly been using Carbon Industrie discs since Japan
Following Leclerc’s retirement at Monaco after his accident at Antony Noghès, the story quickly became one of the major talking points of the weekend. Initially, many observers believed the crash may have been caused by driver error, but Leclerc was clear in his assessment.
According to the Ferrari driver, the brakes were not functioning properly and displayed an excessively sensitive and unpredictable behaviour under braking.
According to a report from AutoRacer.it, Lewis Hamilton has been using brake discs produced by French manufacturer Carbon Industrie since the Japanese Grand Prix: “Lewis has been using different brakes for the last three races and I think I’ll be using them as well from the next race,” Charles Leclerc reportedly said.
It is important to note that the brake calipers remain Brembo components. Lewis Hamilton, however, spent many years at Mercedes using Carbon Industrie equipment and was accustomed to the feel provided by the French company’s braking system. Since arriving at Ferrari, the seven-time world champion has reportedly pushed strongly for changes in that area.
Ferrari nevertheless remained committed to its traditional Brembo solutions, which have historically delivered excellent results. During the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, an update helped improve the situation and allowed Hamilton to feel more comfortable with the car.
Yet the British driver reportedly continued to advocate for further changes throughout the winter. Following testing in Bahrain during pre-season preparations, Ferrari is understood to have approved an important modification without attracting significant attention.
As a result, while most of the braking system remains supplied by Brembo, the brake discs themselves are now reportedly sourced from Carbon Industrie. The next intriguing development could come in Barcelona, where Charles Leclerc may decide to adopt the same configuration in an effort to solve the braking issues that have affected him in recent races.
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