Ferrari president John Elkann issued a statement on Monday which sent shockwaves around the world, saying that outside of its Formula 1 mechanics and engineers, \u201cthe rest is not up to par\u201d.<\/p>\n
Adding that Ferrari<\/a> have \u201cdrivers who need to focus on driving, talk less,\u201d it was a surprisingly blunt statement which sources within Ferrari suggest is meant as a motivational spur for the team. Is this the right way to do it, or has the Ferrari president made a mistake? The PlanetF1.com team has passed its judgment\u2026<\/p>\n John Elkann could learn something from Lewis Hamilton<\/p>\n By Jamie Woodhouse<\/p>\n Yes, it has been a very frustrating season for Ferrari, and yes, both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have not attempted to mask this in their comments. But, why should they?<\/p>\n Coming off the back of the 2024 Constructors\u2019 title challenge, Leclerc was right to expect a Ferrari which could put him in contention for the F1 2025 Drivers\u2019 title. The SF-25 is nowhere near such a level. Leclerc\u2019s downbeat tone throughout much of the year is justified. He has been fast, consistently. Without doubt one of the strongest performers. The car has not done his talent justice.<\/p>\n As for Hamilton, he said that his Ferrari \u201cdream\u201d has turned into something more resembling a \u201cnightmare\u201d<\/a>. It is true, in many ways, as a brutal first season in Ferrari red continues.<\/p>\n Yet, Elkann could probably learn something from how Hamilton goes about trying to motivate the team in his comments to the world. Hamilton\u2019s message has been one of encouraging united progress, and it has a far greater chance of success than finger-pointing.<\/p>\n Called out directly, Hamilton and Leclerc will obviously be the targets of this encouragement. But what about the staff in, let\u2019s say, the logistics department, or communications, or catering? How will they feel if apparently only the engineers and mechanics are delivering.<\/p>\n This is not the way to unite and motivate a team.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton has underdelivered, but John Elkann\u2019s comments are unnecessary<\/p>\n By Thomas Maher<\/p>\n My eyes widened when I read the comments made by Elkann on Monday, I must admit. Not since Laurent Rossi at Alpine in 2023 have I read such an unnecessary interjection from a senior leader, given that his comments do appear targeted at an individual driver, rather than both.<\/p>\n Presumably, this is intended to ensure Hamilton doesn\u2019t feel singled out, but all it appears to do, externally at least, is unfairly call out Leclerc, a driver who is giving his prime years in F1 to a team unable to deliver him a car to match his talents. If I were Charles, I\u2019d feel pretty miffed to be called out by a detached boss for unfounded suggestions of being unfocused and talking too much when, if anything, Leclerc bites his tongue and is far more diplomatic than many others would manage in his shoes.<\/p>\n Assuming that Elkann does actually mean Hamilton, then one has to wonder just what was expected of him. After all, Hamilton has always been a man to wear his heart on his sleeve and express how he feels. After being head-hunted from Mercedes, a deal overseen and approved by Elkann, was there an expectation that Hamilton would somehow turn out to be a different character than how he\u2019s always been?<\/p>\n Sure, Hamilton has underdelivered; that much is undeniable. But there has been no shirking of responsibility from the seven-time F1 World Champion in that regard. He knows it\u2019s not working out, and there\u2019s little reason to doubt that he doesn\u2019t know how to best handle his disappointment and get to grips with things; he\u2019s been doing this for 20 years. One does not become a seven-time F1 World Champion without having high standards and expectations against which they hold themselves.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth remembering that, aside from the recent signing of Loic Serra, not a single one of Ferrari\u2019s key figures \u2013 including Elkann \u2013 has ever overseen a World Championship victory in F1. Hamilton, in stark contrast, has won seven, with two different teams. If there\u2019s anyone who knows what\u2019s lacking and what needs to change, it\u2019s Hamilton, even if his own driving talents aren\u2019t what they once were. This experience and knowledge are what need to be listened to, not haughtily brushed aside by someone who thinks they know what it takes to win but has not demonstrated that yet.<\/p>\n Particularly when Hamilton is merely the latest in a long line of World Champion drivers who have also failed to find success at the team since Kimi Raikkonen\u2019s win almost 20 years ago. The team consistently shows that it can be excellent, producing competitive cars, but always seems to lack a vital ingredient to make itself elite \u2013 an ingredient that all three of its front-running rivals have proven capable of finding.<\/p>\n As for the Ferrari WEC team that Elkann wishes his F1 team to emulate, it\u2019s worth remembering that it is a partnership with a third party, AF Corse. If Ferrari\u2019s successes here are achieved through outsourcing, then perhaps the same idea should be explored for the F1 arm of the company, or it appears the same cycle is doomed to endlessly repeat.<\/p>\n At what point does Ferrari acknowledge that, maybe, just maybe, its issues are not driver or team-boss-related and, instead, are indicative of a culture of heart, passion, enthusiasm, and a frightening lack of introspection and logic?<\/p>\n More on Ferrari via PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 F1 Uncovered: The notable changes Ferrari failed to capitalise on<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Lewis Hamilton questions opinions of \u2018older drivers who didn\u2019t achieve much\u2019 in rookie defence<\/a><\/p>\n Polarising comments at an unusual time<\/p>\n By Henry Valantine<\/p>\n