Speaking to Sky Italia at an event in Milan, Ferrari President John Elkann dished harsh criticism towards Ferrari’s F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
The criticism comes after a disastrous São Paulo GP for the F1 team, which saw Ferrari drop to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship after both drivers retired from the main race.
Leclerc’s race ended abruptly after the Safety Car restart when Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes collided with Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, leaving Leclerc caught in the middle.
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s race unraveled following contact with Sainz and Colapinto, from which he sustained severe damage to his floor. The Stewards issued a 5-second penalty to the seven-time champion for making contact with Colapinto, and he later had to retire from the race because his car became undrivable.
With both cars out of the race, Ferrari recorded its second double DNF of the season, a disappointing result on the same weekend Ferrari’s WEC celebrated winning both Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in Endurance.
Elkann praised the Endurance team for winning both titles, noting that Ferrari was capable of achieving “great things” when working together.
“We won the Endurance world titles in Bahrain, and it was an extraordinary feeling. Winning both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships shows that when Ferrari is united, when everyone works together, we can achieve truly great things.”
Disappointing São Paulo GP
The F1 race, on the other hand, was a “big disappointment” according to Elkann. While the Ferrari president praised the F1 mechanics and engineers for their work, he found that the rest of the team was “not up to par.”
“Brazil was a big disappointment. Looking at the Formula 1 championship, we can say that we have our mechanics, who are basically winning the championship with their performance and everything that has been done on the pit stops. Our engineers have undoubtedly improved the car. But when it comes to the rest, it is still not up to par.
Drivers should talk less and focus on driving
Elkann didn’t leave it at that, though, as he called out Hamilton and Leclerc, suggesting the duo should “focus on driving and talk less,” and also stretching the importance of the upcoming races in the battle for second in the Constructors’ Championship.
“And surely we have drivers who need to focus on driving and talk less. We still have important races ahead of us, and it is not impossible to achieve second place.
“This is the most important message, because Bahrain itself is the demonstration that, when everyone at Ferrari works together, we win.”
After the São Paulo GP, Ferrari currently sits 36 points behind second-placed Mercedes and four points behind Red Bull. With only three rounds left to go, and performance swinging from track to track, Ferrari will face an uphill battle for second.
