Ferrari president Elkann criticizes Hamilton and Leclerc

Ferrari Chairman John Elkann said the company’s Formula 1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc “need to focus on driving and talking less.”

Elkann’s comments come against the backdrop of last weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, where Ferrari suffered a double retirement, and Hamilton described his first season with the team as a “nightmare”.

Ferrari dropped to fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship as a result of the race. They are 36 points behind Mercedes and four behind Red Bull with three grands prix and a sprint race remaining.

Elkann said during the Olympic sponsorship event in Rome on Monday that the team’s mechanics and engineers are performing well, but “if we look at the rest, it is not up to scratch.”

He added: “We certainly have drivers who need to focus on driving and talking less because we still have important races ahead of us, and getting second place is not impossible.

“In Bahrain, we won the World Endurance Championship. When Ferrari unites, we get results.”

Elkann’s comments reflect the frustration and disappointment in Ferrari, which came close to becoming constructors’ champion last year but failed to win the grand prix this season.

But it is said that it is meant to be dealt with constructively as an incentive for improvement.

McLaren, which beat Ferrari by only 14 points last year, won the title with six races remaining in the current season.

The Constructors’ Championship determines the prize money for teams, and each place taken near the top is worth around $10m (£7.6m) above the place below.

Hamilton won the Sprint in China in the second race of the season but is yet to stand on the podium at a Grand Prix.

Leclerc – who qualified third in Sao Paulo at the weekend but was taken out of the race in a crash with Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli after the Italian collided with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri – has scored seven podium finishes, with a best result of second place in Monaco and Mexico.