Ferrari ‘not up to par’ as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton urged to ‘talk less’
Ferrari's John Elkann has urged his F1 drivers to 'focus on driving'.
John Elkann, Ferrari’s president, has offered some advice to Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, urging them to “talk less” as he suggested a lack of cohesion within the F1 team.
Following Ferrari’s third double non-finish of the season in Brazil, John Elkann offered some blunt words of advice to the F1 team.
John Elkann: Ferrari F1 drivers need to ‘focus on driving’
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc appear to have been singled out for some advice from Ferrari President John Elkann, who suggested that the F1 team is lacking in cohesion.
The Brazilian GP proved a troubled weekend for Ferrari, although this was mostly due to factors outside of its control, as Charles Leclerc qualified a competitive third and was competing for a podium place when he was taken out in a three-wide incident into Turn 1 on Lap 6.
Lewis Hamilton had been sideswiped by Carlos Sainz on the opening lap and, moments later, misjudged an overtaking move on Franco Colapinto as he clipped the back of the Alpine and suffered catastrophic front end and floor damage.
While Leclerc retired on the spot, Hamilton continued until the middle of the race, but his participation was in name only as he circulated towards the back with a highly unstable car; Ferrari opted to retire him due to the extent of the damage he had picked up.
With just six points scored from the weekend, thanks to Leclerc taking fifth in the Sprint and Hamilton in seventh, Ferrari has dropped to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Its points tally, between its two high-profile drivers, is less than Red Bull’s, which is, essentially, only Max Verstappen’s points tally, as Yuki Tsunoda has scored just 25 points for the squad.
The scale of the weekend’s disappointment was addressed by Elkann at an event in Milan, in which the Ferrari president appeared to single out the drivers as he praised other aspects of the team.
“Brazil was a huge disappointment,” Elkann said.
“In Formula 1, we have mechanics who are always first in performing pit stops. The engineers work to improve the car.
“The rest is not up to par. We have drivers who need to focus on driving, talk less, and we have important races ahead of us, and it is not impossible to finish second.
“This is the most important message coming out of Bahrain: when Ferrari is a team, we win.”
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Ferrari’s difficult Brazil weekend coincided with a strong showing in the World Endurance Championship finale in Bahrain. While beaten to the victory by Toyota Gazoo Racing, AF Corse, Ferrari’s factory sportscar operation, won the title in the hypercar class.
The squad won the Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this year, and Antonello Coletta, who heads up Ferrari’s WEC team, was strongly linked to the role currently occupied by Fred Vasseur when speculation mounted about the Frenchman’s future earlier this year.
While Vasseur’s contract was renewed with a new three-year deal, Elkann’s words could be seen as a word of warning to create greater cohesion within the Scuderia.
“Ferrari wins when it is united,” he said, “as the WEC results have shown us. When everyone is together, great things can be achieved. ”
It’s not quite clear whether Elkann’s comments are intended with any specific behaviours, from either Hamilton or Leclerc, in mind.
Of the pair, Leclerc has delivered at a more consistent level this year, coming out the clear winner of the intra-team battle with the arrival of seven-time F1 World Champion Hamilton during their first year together.
Hamilton has been open about his own struggles to adjust to life with his new team and new car, but has not been publicly disparaging about his team’s efforts to help him acclimatise, and has held himself to account throughout the season/
Sources have indicated that the comments are intended in the spirit of spurring the team on, rather than being critical of Leclerc and Hamilton specifically.
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