Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc say they have both spoken to Ferrari chairman John Elkann ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix and are not concerned by his comments after the Sao Paulo GP that appeared to criticize them.
Elkann had stated after the double-DNF at Interlagos that “it’s important that [the drivers] focus on driving and talk less,” as he also appeared to questioned the unity within Ferrari’s Formula 1 team. However, Hamilton says he regularly speaks with Elkann and that his own social media post after Brazil was not in response to the comments.
“John and I, we speak every week,” Hamilton said. “We have a great relationship. I didn’t have a reaction to it. I don’t really look into those things too much.
“[The post] wasn’t a reaction, I actually hadn’t even seen it when I posted, and I was flying. It’s only when I got home that I heard about it, so it wasn’t a reaction to anything. That was from the weekend.”
When the “talk less” comment was put to Hamilton, he said there should be a shared blame for the team’s disappointing performance so far this season, but that he feels Ferrari is united.
“I mean, I’m always willing to do less media! But no, seriously, look, I think we all need to take responsibility in this team, and we all need to play our part,” he said. “And I know that there’s so much passion in this team, 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.
“I’ll never compare it to another team, because it’s just so different. But I’m constantly inspired. Firstly going back to the factory, every single time it’s an amazing feeling. There is just something so romantic when you go to Ferrari, as you know, the brand.
“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. That’s what we’re working on.”
Leclerc echoed Hamilton’s point of view, saying Elkann had already contacted him before he was aware of what the Ferrari chairman had said.
“John and I know each other for many years,” Leclerc said. “We have a very good relationship and we’ve been working together for many years. We know each other and 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.
“I didn’t actually see the news. John called me before that, just like he does after every race, to catch up. He also told me that the message he wanted to send was a positive one, saying we need to do better.
“That is clear for everyone. We are aligned and I will do absolutely everything in order to bring Ferrari back to the top. 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.
“We are united. This is a message that is very important that it’s passed. I do understand that there’s a lot of fuss around the team at the moment, but the relationship that John and I have and John and the team has doesn’t change at all.
“He’s been very clear with what he said. He’s always been very honest with us. When he says something, he means it. He spoke to all of us just like he does on a regular basis, and he’s very clear what he’s intending to say. That’s good for us.”