John Elkann delivered a harsh reaction following the Formula 1 Brazil Grand Prix, targeting Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. The double retirement at Interlagos, coming right after Maranello’s triumph in the WEC, triggered a strong response from the Ferrari president. While the work of the mechanics and engineers was praised, he stated that “everything else was not up to standard.”
The Interlagos weekend dealt a heavy blow to Ferrari’s ambitions in the Constructors’ Championship. A double zero score dropped Maranello to fourth place, behind the fast and consistent Mercedes pairing of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, as well as Red Bull with only Max Verstappen. The result was disastrous and failed to reward the efforts of engineers and mechanics at the garage, who had worked tirelessly to adapt the SF-25 to the challenging Brazilian circuit.
Of the two retirements, Charles Leclerc was arguably the less at-fault driver. The Monegasque, who had delivered an excellent qualifying performance, found himself inadvertently involved in a chaotic incident at the restart, for which Oscar Piastri was later penalized. Lewis Hamilton’s error, on the other hand, was more open to criticism: he was largely blameless in the first contact at the start but then showed a lapse in concentration during the rear-end collision with Franco Colapinto’s Alpine.
Elkann: “Drivers should speak less and focus on driving”
Both the Monegasque and the British driver have long been critical of the car during interviews. Their comments were heard again at Interlagos, where Lewis Hamilton described his experience at Ferrari as a true “nightmare.” This attitude appears to have frustrated John Elkann.
“The mechanics did their job, as did the engineers, and the car has clearly improved,” explained the Ferrari president, as reported by Sport Mediaset. “The rest was not up to the mark. The drivers should focus on driving and speak less. We still have a few races left, and it is not impossible to reach second place.”
