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F1 pundit Juan Pablo Montoya has warned Charles Leclerc that his latest move to close the gap between himself and Lewis Hamilton is not the ‘solution’.
Following his late shunt at turn 18 during last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc launched a scathing critique of Brembo for the part their carbon brakes played in his DNF.
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The Italian brakes manufacturer immediately dismissed Leclerc’s accusation, criticising the Monegasque racing driver for jumping to conclusions without backing it up with quantifiable evidence.
Ferrari’s investigation into the matter suggested that Leclerc did not, in fact, suffer from faulty brakes. The reason for the crash was instead deemed to be down to the Ferrari ace not getting his brakes up to temperature before the safety restart.
However, Leclerc was still dissatisfied with Ferrari’s long-time brake supplier, and has detailed how he will have the same material as teammate Lewis Hamilton for this weekend’s Barcelona Grand Prix in an attempt to bridge the gap to his high-flying counterpart.
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Juan Pablo Montoya tells Charles Leclerc copying Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari is not the ‘solution’
Despite his proactiveness to get on equal terms with the seven-time world champion, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has voiced his concerns over the change in brakes not being the solution for Leclerc’s woes at Maranello this year.
During F1TV’s Weekend Warm-Up for the Barcelona Grand Prix, Montoya was asked whether a double header is good for Leclerc to find his rhythm again after an out-of-form last few rounds for the Scuderia.
“Yes, if things improve… if they don’t, it gets harder,” he replied. It’s like the ball starts rolling and you can’t stop it. He had a difficult Monaco, and now he’s going to come here.”
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The seven-time F1 race winner then highlighted how his change to the brakes may prove to be more of a hindrance than a solution, continuing with, “They’re talking about having different brakes, going to the Carbon Industrie, which is what Hamilton has been running.
“The hard thing here for me is, I’m not sure it’s the solution. He’s been at Ferrari for nearly eight years, driving with the Brembos. So that’s what he grew up with, and that’s what he knows.
“Where, for Lewis, Lewis grew up on Carbon Industrie, and that’s what he knows. The feeling is completely different, and I’m not 100% convinced that it’s going to be the solution.”
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Charles Leclerc admitted he is now ‘moving in Lewis’s direction’ with car setup
During the Monegasque driver’s Thursday afternoon media duties in Barcelona, he detailed how utilising different setup philosophies was Ferrari’s norm at previous race weekends, while revealing he will now be heading in the same direction as Hamilton.
“Differentiating the two cars was a team decision,” he told journalists, via Motorsport Italia. “Then the last two weekends were more difficult than I initially expected. Now we’re moving in Lewis’s direction. What do I need? Consistent, consistent braking. That’s all I need.
“Monaco is a track that means more to me than others, even though the points awarded on Sunday are the same,” he admitted. “I really want to do well there, and after what happened, it was a bit harder to move on than on other weekends. That’s why I can’t wait to get back in the car tomorrow.
He rounded out his comments by noting his teammate’s resurgence following a difficult debut year in Maranello, adding, “Lewis is very, very strong. This car is more suited to him than the previous one.”
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