Ferrari's president responds to the disaster in Brazil with harsh criticism of his drivers
Ferrari's struggles continue. The Brazilian Grand Prix added to a growing list of disastrous weekends for the Italian team this Formula 1 season. Although both drivers managed to score points in the sprint race, everything fell apart on Sunday.
On the first lap, Lewis Hamilton lost several positions after contact with Carlos Sainz, dropping to the back of the field. The situation worsened a few laps later: a mistake of his own and contact with Franco Colapinto damaged the front wing and floor of his car, causing problems that forced him to retire from the race shortly afterward.
Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, got a strong start on the restart of lap 7 and was close to taking second place, but luck wasn't on his side. An incident between Oscar Piastri and Andrea Kimi Antonelli ended up affecting him: Antonelli collided with the Monegasque driver's car, causing him to lose a front tire and also retire.
Photo: F1
The Brazilian debacle is not an isolated incident. Ferrari had already experienced chaotic weekends in China, where both drivers were disqualified for technical irregularities, and at Zandvoort, with two retirements due to accidents. Brazil thus joins a short but painful list of Grands Prix that no team would want in its recent history.
After 21 races, neither driver has achieved a victory, and the team has only reached the podium seven times. A worrying statistic for a team with Ferrari's history and high standards.
As if the on-track result wasn't enough, the atmosphere became even more tense with the statements from Ferrari president John Elkann, who didn't hesitate to point the finger at the drivers as responsible for the failure in Brazil.
During an event in Rome related to the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, Elkann stated:
“In Formula 1 we have the mechanics, who have done their job, between pole position and pit stops. The same goes for the engineers, with a car that has clearly improved. The rest haven’t been at the same level”
The president insisted that the technical team is performing well, but that the mistakes lie with Hamilton and Leclerc, whom he asked to "focus on driving and talk less." He also pointed out that there are still some races to go and that reaching second place in the constructors' championship is not impossible, even though Ferrari dropped to fourth after the Brazilian Grand Prix, overtaken by Mercedes and Red Bull.
Elkann's words were not well received within the team. Both drivers have expressed their frustration throughout the year with the car's performance and on-track results. Ferrari, which last year was fighting for the constructors' championship with McLaren, is now in fourth place behind Red Bull, making the situation even worse, as Red Bull is only scoring points with Max Verstappen's car.
However, following the president's statements, both Hamilton and Leclerc used their social media to send a message of unity:
Photo: Charles Leclerc instagram
Photo: Lewis Hamilton Instagram
Elkann, for his part, also emphasized that when Ferrari works together, it can achieve great results, citing the team's recent victories in other categories, such as the WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the team was crowned champion once again.
Even so, the contrast with Formula 1 is stark. The most legendary team in motorsport seems to be experiencing not only a performance and development problem, but also an internal crisis that threatens to prolong its decline.
