LAS VEGAS — Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc downplayed Ferrari chairman John Elkann’s criticism of their performances this season, insisting the comments were intended to be positive.
Elkann caused a storm after F1’s most recent race in Brazil when he said that, while Ferrari’s mechanics and engineers were operating at a high level, the rest of the team — which would mainly be its drivers — “were not up to par” in what looks set to be a winless season.
He also said Hamilton and Leclerc needed to “focus on driving and talk less” and suggested the team was struggling this year because of a lack of unity behind the scenes.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton dismissed the suggestion of a rift.
“John and I, we speak every week,” Hamilton said on Wednesday. “We have a great relationship. I didn’t have a reaction to it. I don’t really look into those things too much.”
He added: “I think there’s great harmony within the team. Even with all the ups and downs that we’ve been having. I think everyone is just focused on taking the learnings from this year to build on a better future. That encourages me every time I go and see everybody back at the factory. Of course there are areas we need to improve, just working on those, that’s what we’re working on.”
Leclerc, who joined Ferrari in 2019 after a lengthy spell as an academy driver, said: “I know John is a very ambitious person and wants to push everyone to the maximum in order to have the maximum results. He loves Ferrari, I love Ferrari, we all love Ferrari and we try to do the best in every situation.”
Leclerc believed the quotes have been misunderstood.
“John has always been extremely honest with me,” he said. “When he thinks I’ve done something wrong or that anybody has done something wrong in the team, he will say it. When he called me, he told me what were the intentions of his words. That was very clear.
“It was a positive message, trying to be positive. Then, whichever way it’s been expressed, I cannot really comment. It’s not my job to comment, but the intent was positive.”
Elkann’s comments came on the back of what has been a massively deflating year after lofty preseason expectations. Hamilton’s big-money arrival and Ferrari narrowly missing out on the constructors’ championship last year created a feeling the Italian team could compete for a title again this year.
The suggestion that drivers needed to do better seemed especially harsh on Leclerc, who has contributed to all of the team’s grand prix pole positions and podiums since this season, while Hamilton grabbed sprint pole and sprint victory in China earlier in the year.
The 28-year-old suggested he could still improve his own level in the bid to make Ferrari world beaters again.
“We are aligned and I will do absolutely everything in order to bring Ferrari back to the top,” Leclerc said. “This I’ve always said in the past and I’ve always tried my best. I’ll try to do better. That really is the priority in the team and what we want to achieve.”
Elkann’s suggestion the drivers should talk less is what drove many of the headlines immediately afterwards. On that suggestion, Hamilton initially joked that he’s “always willing to do less media.”
The seven-time world champion added: “But no, seriously, look, I think we all need to take responsibility in this team, and we all need to play our part. And I know that there’s so much passion in this team, [from] every single member of this team.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the extraordinary effort every single person back at the factory continues to put in, week on week. And naturally, knowing that the team is Ferrari, there’s always a huge amount of attention, not always in a positive way. But we’re all fully committed to turning this around, and I’m fully committed to helping this team rebuild and grow, and every challenge is an opportunity for us to grow and learn. I firmly believe that we will get to where we want to be.”
While few would have predicted Hamilton not winning a grand prix or scoring a grand prix podium in his first year at the team, he has just three races to avoid that outcome. He insisted his belief in what the team can achieved has never wavered despite the rocky road.
“It’s crazy to think a year has gone by. It’s been an extraordinary experience, from the moment I arrived. I still pinch myself, honestly, that I’m in red, that I get to drive a Ferrari and get to represent so many of these amazing people that you don’t get to see obviously back at the factory. I joined this team knowing full well that it takes time to steer a ship in a different direction.
“And you know, this is a huge thing, it’s a huge organization. There’s so many moving parts. You can’t fix it in the click of a finger. It takes real time. Of course it’s not been what any of us wanted in terms of a season, with the troubles that we’ve had and the results that we’ve had. We’ve just continued to push on, full steam.”
