Ferrari chairman John Elkann’s decision to urge Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to concentrate solely on their driving—following the team’s disastrous weekend at the 2025 Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix—created a major shockwave across the paddock. His remarks, delivered unexpectedly during a public appearance in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics, highlighted the deep frustration surrounding Ferrari’s disappointing 2025 campaign. The team had entered the season with ambitions of fighting for the world championship, yet those hopes had evaporated well before the summer break.
With three races remaining, Ferrari now sit fourth in the 2025 Formula 1 constructors’ standings, having slipped from second place after their latest setback at Interlagos. The team suffered their second double retirement of the year in Brazil, both cars eliminated within just 38 laps. Hamilton later described his current situation at Ferrari as a personal nightmare, having been forced to retire due to damage sustained when he collided with Alpine driver Franco Colapinto. Leclerc, meanwhile, was taken out through no fault of his own in a multi-car incident triggered by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Ferrari quietly insist John Elkann intended to motivate the team rather than criticise
Hamilton remains without a single podium finish in his first 21 races as a Ferrari driver, a stark contrast to the expectations surrounding his high-profile move to Maranello. All seven of Ferrari’s podiums this year have come from Leclerc, and the Scuderia are the only one of Formula 1’s top four teams yet to secure a race victory.
John Elkann contacted team principal Frédéric Vasseur immediately after the double DNF in São Paulo, and that conversation is believed to have played a role in the forceful tone of his subsequent public comments—remarks many interpreted as being aimed primarily at Hamilton. However, Ferrari insiders are now offering a different interpretation of Elkann’s intent.
According to BBC Sport’s Formula 1 correspondent Andrew Benson, individuals within the team have been briefing him that Elkann’s criticism was not meant as a direct attack on the drivers but instead as a deliberate attempt to galvanise the entire organisation. With Ferrari sitting 36 points behind Mercedes in the fight for second place in the constructors’ championship, senior figures within the team appear keen to frame Elkann’s comments as a strategic push to raise performance across all departments.
Ferrari’s troubled 2025 car sits at the heart of Hamilton’s frustrations
Before the season began, Fred Vasseur had expressed confidence that Ferrari would be strong enough to challenge for the constructors’ crown, especially after finishing only 14 points behind McLaren in 2024. Instead, McLaren secured the 2025 championship with six races remaining and currently hold a dominant 394-point advantage over Ferrari.
The disastrous result in Brazil dropped Ferrari further behind their key rivals: 36 points behind Mercedes in second place and trailing Red Bull by four points in third. Red Bull’s position this year has been largely sustained by Max Verstappen alone, who has contributed 341 of the team’s 366 points. Charles Leclerc has scored 214 points, while Lewis Hamilton sits on 148.
Given these circumstances, Lewis Hamilton’s disappointment is hardly surprising. After two decades of fighting at the front, he now finds himself 21 races into his Ferrari tenure without a single podium finish. Despite his efforts, the team has been unable to resolve the fundamental weaknesses of the 2025 car, leaving him unable to compete for the results he expected when he joined the Scuderia. Nevertheless, John Elkann chose to channel his dissatisfaction toward the drivers—an approach that has raised eyebrows both within the team and among its global fanbase.
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