Ferrari chairman John Elkann insists drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc must “focus on driving and talk less” after the Scuderia’s double retirement at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton, who is yet to record a podium in 21 races this year, labelled his debut Ferrari campaign a “nightmare” after another poor showing at Interlagos.
Hamilton qualified just 13th on the grid before dropping to dead last and being hit with a five-second penalty for colliding with Franco Colapinto. After labelling the stewards a “complete joke”, the 40-year-old then retired due to damage sustained to his car in the incident.
Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, qualified third but was helpless as Oscar Piastri’s clash with Kimi Antonelli resulted in his mechanical retirement. As a result, Ferrari have dropped to fourth in the constructors’ championship and are still without a win in 2025.
“Brazil was a huge disappointment,” said Elkann, a key player in persuading Hamilton to join Ferrari from Mercedes, on Monday.
“If we look at the Formula 1 championship, we can say that our mechanics are winning the championship with their performance and everything they’ve done on the pit-stops. If we look at our engineers, there’s no doubt that the car has improved.
“If we look at the rest, it’s not up to par. And we certainly have drivers who it’s important that they focus on driving and talk less, because we still have important races ahead of us and it’s not impossible to get second place.”
Hamilton branded his Interlagos weekend as “disastrous” after Sunday’s DNF. The Briton is eyeing improvement next year, when new regulations come into force.
“This [season] is a nightmare, and I’ve been living it for a while,” he said. “The flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team, and then the nightmare of results that we’ve had, the ups and downs, it is challenging.
“This weekend has been disastrous and disappointing for everyone. I am trying to keep my head above water and remain positive.”
Hamilton trails teammate Leclerc, who has registered seven podiums this year, by 66 points in the world championship.
Hamilton continued: “Charles did a great job in qualifying, so there is some performance in that car.
“At this point, I have to believe there is something to come out of all these hardships that we have been going through. I am sure we are destined for something positive in the future.
“Maybe we are getting all our bad luck out of the way this year… who knows? We will not give up and we will come back fighting at the next race.”
Hamilton’s contract length has not been disclosed, but is reported to be a three-year, or two-plus-one, deal. Talks over an extension have not yet begun. Leclerc has a deal with the Scuderia until 2029.
The next race is in Las Vegas on 20-22 November, with two rounds remaining after that. Hamilton has never gone a whole F1 season without a top-three finish.
