Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc took to Instagram after the F1 São Paulo GP, following criticism directed at the pair by Ferrari President John Elkann.
Elkann’s comments
Speaking to Sky Italia at an event in Milan, Elkann praised Ferrari’s Endurance team for winning both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles in the WEC, noting that Ferrari can achieve “great things” when working together.
On the flip side, he described the F1 São Paulo GP as a “big disappointment,” acknowledging the efforts of the mechanics and engineers while directing criticism toward the rest of the team.
“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.“
He didn’t leave it at that statement though, as he called out both drivers, suggesting that they should focus more on driving and “talk less”.
“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.“
What happened to the Ferrari duo at the F1 São Paulo GP?
Ferrari slipped to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship over the São Paulo weekend after both drivers failed to see the chequered flag.
Leclerc’s race ended abruptly at the Safety Car restart when Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli made contact with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. The collision unfolded directly ahead of Leclerc, leaving him with nowhere to go and resulting in the loss of his front-left wheel and an immediate retirement.
Hamilton’s race unravelled shortly after. The seven-time World Champion sustained significant floor damage following contact with Carlos Sainz’s Williams and Franco Colapinto’s Alpine. Hamilton was handed a five-second time penalty for the clash with Colapinto, and despite attempting to continue, the extent of the damage ultimately forced him to retire as well.
The São Paulo GP marked only the second double DNF of the season for Ferrari — a costly blow in their increasingly tense fight in the Constructors’ standings.
Both Ferrari driver’s comments
Following Elkann’s comments, both Ferrari drivers took to Instagram with separate posts addressing the F1 São Paulo GP. Their messages, while not referring to Elkann directly, appeared to underline unity within the team and reinforce their commitment to bouncing back after a difficult weekend.
Leclerc’s post highlighted Ferrari’s slip in the Constructors’ Championship, acknowledging the setback but stressing that “unity” within the team will be the key to turning their fortunes around.
“A very difficult weekend in São Paulo. Disappointing to come back home with nearly no points at all for the team in what is a critical moment of the season to fight for the 2nd place in the constructors’ championship. It’s uphill
from now and it’s clear that only unity can help us turn that situation around in the last 3 races. We’ll give it all, as always”
Hamilton’s post took a slightly different angle, centred more on resilience and self-belief. The seven-time World Champion reaffirmed his support for the team while also backing himself, stating firmly that he “will not give up.”
“Brazil. Thank you for all the love, always. In the end, it wasn’t the race we wanted. It’s gutting, especially after some good progress, but we will move on. I back my team. I back myself. I will not give up. Not now, not then, not ever.”
