How Ferrari’s Chairman and its F1 drivers got into a public feud

The team lost second position in the constructors’ standings, dropping behind Mercedes and Red Bull, after scoring a dismal six points in Brazil from a possible 58 on offer at the Sprint weekend.

Poor weekend in São Paulo

Leclerc’s SF-25 was collateral damage on the first lap in Sunday’s Grand Prix after Oscar Piastri dived up the inside of Kimi Antonelli. The Australian crashed into the Mercedes, which then clattered into the Ferrari.

Hamilton’s GP didn’t start well either. The four-time world champion sustained significant damage to his front wing after clashing with Franco Colapinto’s Alpine. The Ferrari man retired on lap 39.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Scuderia Ferrari HP (@scuderiaferrari)

‘Talk less’

The drivers’ performances in Brazil seemed to be the final straw for Elkann. “Brazil was a huge disappointment,” the 49-year-old admitted. “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.”

According to the BBC’s F1 correspondent, Andrew Benson, speaking on the Chequered Flag podcast,  Elkann’s comments were meant to spur the team on. However, both Leclerc and Hamilton went on the offensive with posts on social media that seemed to hit back at Elkann’s words.

Hamilton posted on Instagram with the caption: “I back my team. I back myself. I will not give up. Not now, not then, not ever.”

Leclerc also took to Instagram and shared his post-race views: “It’s uphill from now, and it’s clear that only unity can help us turn that situation around in the last 3 races. We’ll give it all, as always.”

It’s clear that the drivers feel the pressure of not getting the results they would like, and also aren’t going to shy away from giving their perspective of the current situation.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Charles Leclerc (@charles_leclerc)

Looking ahead to Las Vegas

The Italian team is currently fourth in the constructors’ standings with three races remaining and a Sprint.  Ferrari trails Mercedes by 36 points and will look to score as many points as possible at the street circuit in Nevada this weekend.

Hamilton is still without a podium finish for the team, and Leclerc will want to end his season on a high note after some incredible performances despite not having a car able to compete for wins in 2025.