Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have shared their reactions to Ferrari Executive Chairman John Elkann’s recent comments that the drivers need to “talk less and focus on driving” after the squad’s double retirement in Brazil.
The Sao Paulo Grand Prix proved difficult for the Scuderia, with Leclerc recording a DNF after being hit by Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes in a Turn 1 melee also involving McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, while Hamilton went on to retire the car after sustaining lasting damage during earlier incidents.
Elkann made comments about the drivers needing to “focus on driving” in the wake of this weekend, one that saw the Scuderia slip backwards from P2 in the Teams’ Championship to P4.
Asked about the remarks ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, Leclerc explained that he had spoken to Elkann and that his words were a reflection of the shared ambition to take Ferrari back to the top.
“John has known me for many, many years, and we have a very good relationship and we’ve always been very honest with ourselves and speak to each other very regularly, so obviously, we have spoken since then,” said Leclerc.
“Obviously, John is a very ambitious person and wants the best for Ferrari, just like I do, and we are trying to do our best in order to make sure that Ferrari is back on top.
“That’s John’s priority, that is my priority, that is the priority of the whole team, and we are doing absolutely everything to do that.
“The best thing I can do is to keep doing my best and do everything to bring back the team that I love to the top of the standings.”
The Monegasque also suggested that facing challenges during a season does not make him any less motivated.
“All seasons are challenging. I don’t think there are any that are easier,” Leclerc added. “There are some that are happier and some others that are a bit more difficult to keep the smile on.
“This is probably one of those that is a little bit more difficult from the first race to the last race, as we had high expectations after last year. We started on that back foot and then you have to try to recover from there.
“That doesn’t hurt my motivation. I’m very motivated, I’m very driven by bringing back Ferrari to the top, and that’s what motivates me. It’s been a tough one, but I still see a lot of positives in a season like that, and I’m sure a season like that will help us to be better in the future.
“But we’ve got to do more, and a lot more, in order to fight for a championship which I hope will be for next year.”
Also asked about Elkann’s comments, Hamilton insisted that Ferrari remain as united as ever.
“We’ve just been focused on doing our job back at the factory, so everyone’s super-focused on improving,” the seven-time World Champion explained. “I speak to John every week. We have an amazing relationship. The passion has not disappeared from our team.
“We’ve obviously got a steep hill to climb, but we want to finish off strong this year.”
Hamilton also reiterated that he stands by his decision to join Ferrari, the Briton adding: “It was very difficult at some points during the year, but I feel like I’ve really surprised myself in terms of my resilience.
“I still feel very, very positive. I still feel very determined, very dedicated to the challenge we have, and I just really see that every challenge that we have is an opportunity to learn and grow.
“It has been the most challenging year and it’s definitely not a year that I would ever dream of, especially in your first year at Ferrari, but we take the learnings from every single weekend and I really feel like we take the learnings from this year to grow on to something better in the future.
“I firmly believe in absolutely every single individual at the factory and here at the track who do an extraordinary job. Every week, they give it 100%, and that is all you can every ask of people. Of course, we’ve got to continue to – I’m committed to helping them rebuild and grow back to their winning ways.”
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