Ferrari Chief Slams Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc After Brazil GP
Ferrari CEO John Elkann has hit out at both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in an extraordinary statement following the duo's double DNF at the Brazil GP.
It was Ferrari's third pointless Grand Prix of the season in Sao Paulo, following a double disqualification in China and a double DNF in Zandvoort back in August.
Leclerc was initially running well after a qualifying in third position, however, during the early safety car restart the 28-year-old was taken out while fighting for second place.
Hamilton meanwhile started in 13th, but fell to last place after contact with two cars on the opening lap.
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The Brit was handed a five-second penalty for the incidents before retiring from the race due to car damage.
However, it wasn't a total disaster for Ferrari, with the WEC team bringing home the championship following the eight hours of Bahrain on Saturday.
Speaking on the win, CEO John Elkann paid tribute to the team victory: "Ferrari wins when it is cohesive, this is what the result in the WEC taught us. When everyone is together, great things can be achieved."
Elkann hits out at Leclerc and Hamilton
However, the rest of Elkann's statement has caused a major stir in the motorsport community, with the Ferrari chief seeming to call out both of his F1 stars.
"Brazil was a huge disappointment. In Formula 1, we have mechanics who are always first in making pit stops. The engineers work to improve the car. The rest is not up to par.
"We have drivers who it is important that they concentrate on driving, that they talk less and that we have important races ahead of us and it is not impossible to get second place," he added.
This comes amid speculation over both driver's futures at the team, with Leclerc's manager suggesting the Scuderia MUST produce a championship-winning car to keep the Monegasque.
While Elkann made sure not to single out either driver, the emphasis on the possibility of a second-place constructors finish could be in response to Hamilton.
The Brit claimed 'at this point it’s literally just about having fun' when asked about positive results in Brazil, opposed to Leclerc, who stressed Ferrari drivers 'must win' during his media duties.
Tom Jenkins