Leclerc to test Hamilton's brake configuration at F1 Barcelona GP

Charles Leclerc has opted for a technical direction similar to Lewis Hamilton for this weekend's Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix after his frustrations in Monaco.

The Ferrari driver crashed out of his home race last weekend with 14 laps remaining, going into the barrier at the final corner while running in third.

Leclerc was furious after the race having lost his chance of the podium and the 28-year-old later revealed that a technical issue on the SF-26 was behind his crash.

"I'm not even going to take the blame," he said. "Out of the four brakes, I had three brakes not working. So in a Formula 1 car, it's never a good thing.

"The front left was working well, the front right was half working, and the two rear brakes were not working at all. And when I say at all, it's that on data, there's no deceleration at all. It's like the calipers were not even in the car."

Leclerc later described it as a "nightmare", but Ferrari had already identified a solution and that was to use the same brake configuration on team-mate Hamilton's car.

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The seven-time world champion has been using Carbone Industrie brake discs and pads, as opposed to the Brembo configuration for Leclerc which he's been having trouble with for some time.

So for this weekend's Barcelona Grand Prix, Leclerc will test the Carbon Industrie set-up for FP1 before deciding whether to stick or twist for the rest of the sessions. 

It all simply comes down to driver preference and not whether one is better than the other, as there are those who would never give up on Brembo discs compared to those who've relied on Carbon Industrie. 

So it'll be a fascinating development to watch as Leclerc attempts to overcome his recent poor form, scoring zero podiums since the Japanese Grand Prix in March.

That has seen him slip to fourth in the championship and behind Hamilton, who has claimed consecutive runner-up finishes during a rejuvenated 2026.