Ferrari pair Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc told to ‘focus on their driving’

By Mark Walker, PA

Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc have been told to “focus on their driving and talk less” by team president John Elkann.

Hamilton and Leclerc failed to finish in Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix and sit sixth and fifth respectively in the drivers’ championship, while Ferrari slipped from second to fourth in the constructors’ standings.

Hamilton was eventually retired by Ferrari on lap 40 in Sao Paulo having collided with Carlos Sainz’s Williams and then Alpine’s Franco Colapinto early in the race.

TEAM STANDINGS (after 21/24 rounds)

Mercedes and Red Bull move up one place 📈
Ferrari down two 📉#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/eHy5ggRtmA

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 9, 2025

The seven-time world champion also received a five-point penalty for his misjudged attempt to overtake Colapinto, while Leclerc was forced to retire on lap six after a collision which was not his fault.

Elkann, speaking at an event in Milan to promote the 2026 Winter Olympics and quoted by Gazzetta dello Sport, said: “In Formula 1, on the one hand, we have the mechanics who did their job, including poles and pit stops.

“The engineers did the same, with the car clearly improving. The rest wasn’t up to par.”

Elkann appeared to point the finger at Ferrari’s drivers, adding: “They should focus on driving and talk less. We still have a few races left, and it’s not impossible to finish second.”

DRIVER STANDINGS (with three rounds to go)

Norris extends his lead to 24 points 📈#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/juh6zgXv4n

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 9, 2025

Hamilton said after the race at Interlagos that it was a “devastating result”and added on Sky Sports: “This is a nightmare, and I have been living it for a while.

“The flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and the nightmare of the results we have had, the ups and downs, it’s challenging.”

Hamilton said in a later interview with Viaplay that “it would be wrong to say that there are no positives at all”.

“If you look at Charles’ performance in qualifying, it shows that the car does have some pace in it,” the 40-year-old said.

“But we are just really having to fight through those hardships at the moment. I have to believe that these hardships lead to… I believe there is something extraordinary up ahead in my life and in my destiny.

“I truly still believe in this team and what we can achieve together. I just have to keep pushing and keep giving them everything I can.”