Ferrari Chairman Elkann Urges Hamilton and Leclerc to ‘Talk Less’ and drive better

In a blunt assessment that has sent shockwaves through the Formula 1 paddock, Ferrari chairman John Elkann (pictured) has delivered a stark message to the team’s star drivers: “Focus on driving and talk less.”

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The directive, issued just days after Lewis Hamilton labeled his debut season with the Scuderia a “nightmare,” underscores the mounting frustrations within one of F1’s most storied teams as they limp toward the end of a disappointing 2025 campaign.

Elkann’s comments came during an appearance at an event promoting the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, where he reflected on Ferrari’s broader successes—such as their World Endurance Championship (WEC) triumph in Bahrain—while lamenting the chaos in their F1 operation.

“We certainly have drivers, for whom 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 in the Constructor’s Championship,” Elkann stated, directing his words squarely at seven-time world champion Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc.

He added a nod to unity as the key to redemption: “To win both as a constructor and as drivers is a beautiful demonstration that when Ferrari is united, when everyone is together, you can achieve great things.”

The timing could not have been more pointed. Ferrari entered the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on a knife-edge, sitting second in the constructors’ standings. But a weekend of mechanical gremlins, on-track collisions, and strategic misfires turned into a “disastrous” double retirement for the team, plummeting them to fourth place—36 points behind Mercedes and just four behind Red Bull, with only three grands prix and a sprint race left on the calendar.

Hamilton, starting 13th after a mixed sprint qualifying, clashed with Carlos Sainz and later lost his front wing and incurred floor damage by misjudging an attempt to pass Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, forcing his early exit and earning him a five-second penalty to boot. Leclerc, who had briefly shown promise by starting third, was taken out on the opening lap in a multi-car pile-up involving Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. It was not his fault at all.

For Hamilton, the Interlagos implosion was the bitter cherry on top of a season he has repeatedly described as torturous. “I’ve been living a nightmare for a while,” the 40-year-old Briton admitted post-race, his voice heavy with exasperation after yet another “weekend to forget.” Despite a brief highlight—victory in the China sprint race at the season’s second round—Hamilton has yet to scale a grand prix podium, languishing sixth in the drivers’ standings and 66 points adrift of Leclerc.

His move from Mercedes, billed as a dream switch to the iconic red cars, has instead been plagued by reliability issues, setup woes, operational and driver errors. Although he has been paid a huge salary, Hamilton has been soundly beaten by his teammate Leclerc all year, with many fans sounding the ‘he’s washed up’ alarm. “The car is certainly not great, neither the operation and execution from Ferrari,” echoed one fan on Reddit, capturing the sentiment among supporters.

Leclerc’s campaign has been marginally brighter, with seven podiums including runner-up finishes in Monaco and Mexico, but even he has felt the heat. The Monegasque driver’s sprint qualifying efforts in Brazil netted a fifth-place finish, but the main race DNF erased any goodwill. Elkann’s critique appears to lump both drivers together, suggesting that public venting—such as Hamilton’s candid outbursts—may be exacerbating internal tensions rather than resolving them.

This flare-up arrives against a backdrop of dashed expectations for Ferrari. Last year, they narrowly missed out on the constructors’ crown, losing by just 14 points to McLaren. This season, however, McLaren has dominated. For Ferrari, the constructors’ battle now hinges on prize money—each position closer to the top is worth around $10 million (£7.6 million)—making Elkann’s push for focus all the more urgent.

Elkann was quick to praise the team’s unsung heroes: the mechanics and engineers, whose pit stop improvements and car development have shown glimmers of progress. “If we look at the rest, it is not up to scratch,” he conceded, but framed his drivers’ rebuke as constructive tough love. Neither Hamilton nor Leclerc has publicly responded to the chairman’s words as of early Tuesday, but the pressure is palpable with the high-stakes Las Vegas Grand Prix looming next weekend, followed by Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

As Ferrari eyes a salvage operation for second in the constructors’—a far cry from their pre-season title aspirations—Elkann’s plea echoes a familiar refrain in Maranello: results over rhetoric. For Hamilton, whose legacy includes seven championships and a penchant for straight talk, this could be the reset needed to turn his Italian odyssey from nightmare to triumph. Or, as the Tifosi fear, it might just fuel the fire of another lost season. With the checkered flag in sight, all eyes will be on whether the Scuderia can channel unity into speed—or if the talking points will drown out the engine roar once more.