Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc played down the statement from John Elkann, while stressing that there is unity and the intent is positive.
Amid an already strained media picture, Ferrari had to undergo further drama after supposed statement from its boss Elkann speaking to Italian media post the Hypercar title win in WEC, co-inciding with double DNF in Brazil. He stressed on performance rather than talks from the F1 drivers.
Both Leclerc and Hamilton shared a message of unity on social media, but denied any links to the statement made by Elkann when asked about it in Las Vegas. They noted it to be their usual post-weekend message that they put out after every race weekend.
They stressed on good relation with Elkann and daily talks that they hold. In fact, Leclerc noted about his chat with him when the statement was made. The Monegasque highlighted it to be a message with positive intent and that there is no malice or hard feelings on either side.
For Hamilton too, he focused on the positive aspect and highlighted his time at Ferrari, which has been fruitful even though the results haven’t come. He reflected on a year being completed and the kindness of the people within the team towards him and towards the common goal.
Comment from John Elkann –
Hamilton: “Yeah, I mean, John and I, we speak almost every week, so we have a great relationship. I didn’t have a reaction to it. I don’t really look into those things too much. It [social media post] wasn’t a reaction. I hadn’t even seen it, and I posted, and I was flying. So, and it’s not that. I got home and I heard about it. So, it wasn’t a reaction to it at all. That was from the weekend.”
Leclerc: “Yeah, I mean, obviously, I mean, John and I know each other since many, many years. So we have a very good relationship. And obviously, we’ve been working together for many years. So we know each other. And I know John is a very ambitious person and wants to push every people 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. And I didn’t actually see the news. John called me before that, just like he does after every races, to catch up and to also tell me that the messages he wanted to send was a positive one in saying, yeah, we need to do better.
“And that is clear for everyone. So really, we are aligned. And I’ll do absolutely everything in order to bring back Ferrari to the top. This, I’ve always said in the past. And I’ve always tried my best. I’ll try to do better. But yeah, and that really is the priority in the team and what we want to achieve. For the whole team, it didn’t come across as negative, because again, there was the explanation straight away. So, there’s not been any bad repercussions on that.”
Why this feeling that it was positive intention –
Leclerc: “Because John has always been very honest with me. And I think that is very rare when you are, I mean, I’ve seen that throughout my career. When you’re in Formula 2, Formula 3, it’s very easy to meet actually people that are honest with you. When you get to Formula 1 and your status change a little bit, it’s a lot more difficult to actually find people that are honest with you. John has always been extremely honest with me. And when he thinks I’ve done something wrong or that anybody has done something wrong in the team, he will say it.
“And when he called me, he told me what were the intentions of his words. And that was very clear. It was a positive message, trying to be positive. Then whichever way it’s been expressed, I cannot really comment. And it’s not my job to comment. But the intent was positive. And that’s what really matters to me. So that’s why I’m fine with that. And then whatever there is around the team, I cannot control. So, I don’t spend too much energy on that.”
Talk less –
Hamilton: “I mean, I’m always willing to do less media. So, but no, seriously, I think, look, I think we all need to take responsibility in this team, and we all need to play our part. And I know that, there’s so much passion in this team, every single member of this team, and 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, and not always in a positive way. But we’re all fully committed to turn 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. And I firmly believe that we will get to where we want to be.”
Leclerc: “To talk less, I wouldn’t take words by words what’s been said. Again, I’ve been speaking with John and I know where he wanted to get at. And that’s enough for me. I mean, I don’t think. It was definitely not specific to that race. But it was more a broader view of the situation and the season. And just trying to, again, push us to do better, which is what we’ll try to do. Again, it’s not for me to comment. But unity is very much…we are united. And this is a message that is, yeah, 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. And he’s been very clear with what he said. As I said, he’s always been very honest with us. When he says something, he means it. And he spoke to all of us just like he does on a regular basis. And it’s very clear what he intended to say. And that’s good for us.”
What’s the thing against previous teams –
Hamilton: “Yeah, I mean, I’d never compare it to another team, because it’s just so different. But I’m constantly inspired when I go back to the factory. Firstly, going back to Ferrari, to the factory, it’s every single time, it’s the most, it’s amazing feeling. There is just something so romantic when you go to Ferrari, as you know, the brand. So as I said, I think there’s a great harmony within the team, even with all the ups and downs that we’ve been having. And I just think everyone’s just focused on taking the learnings from this year to build on a better future. And that encourages me every time I go and see everybody back in the factory. So, of course, there’s areas that we need to improve. We’ve spoken on those. That’s what we’re working on.”
What can be done, working together + confidence –
Hamilton: “It’s not that it changes something. Our goal is to get to the front, and we’re not at the front. And I take it all incredibly personally. I’m 100% invested in this. And I know every single person in this team, from the back to the front, feels what I feel when we share it together. But we turn up every weekend. I’m motivated by seeing everyone that comes to the track each week still positive. This is the kindest group of people that I’ve ever worked with, in terms of just how everyone’s so welcoming, everyone’s so polite, everyone’s so warm. It’s a really beautiful, you can feel that culture within the team, and I love it. Not really. I wake up thinking about it, and I go to sleep thinking about it, and I think about it while I’m sleeping. So, anything I have to focus on being able to unplug more. It’s been a really heavy year. It’s been the busiest year I’ve probably had. I’ve been at the factory more than I think I was ever at any other factory before, because there’s just been so much to do and so much to learn.
“And it’s definitely very tough when we’re all working towards something, and then you fall back. It’s like, we’re climbing up a mountain, and then you arrive at the weekend, and you kind of slip a few steps back or 10 steps back, and you have to then get back up and try again the next time. But I think the resilience that I’ve felt in myself, just reminding myself just how resilient I am. I back this team 100 percent, and I back myself 100 percent. I know that when we get things right, it’s going to be amazing. And I can’t wait for that moment, because it’s going to be nice to see what you’re going to write after that. And I truly believe that that’s going to happen. So, I’m just not losing sight of that, even in the really difficult days we have.”
Leclerc: “You can always do more. You can always do more. You can always do better in everything I do, of course, I breathe Formula 1. I breathe Ferrari especially. And I’ve been a fan since forever. And I always will be. You do your best. But that doesn’t mean that you cannot do better. And so, yeah, I always take critics in a constructive way. There’s no hard feelings whatsoever. And again, the intentions of these words were positive and not negative. And we’ll just keep trying to do better.”
A year with Ferrari –
Hamilton: “Yeah, it’s crazy to think a year, years gone by. It’s been an extraordinary experience from the moment I arrived. And I still pinch myself, honestly, that I’m in red, that I get to drive a Ferrari and get to represent so many of these amazing people that you don’t get to see, obviously, back at the factory. And I joined this team knowing fully well that it takes time to steer a ship in a different direction. And this is a huge team, it’s a huge organisation. There’s so many moving parts, and we can’t fix it in a click of a finger. It takes real time. So, of course, it’s not been what any of us have wanted in terms of a season, with the troubles that we’ve had and the results that we’ve had. But we just continue to push on.”
Done all this year –
Leclerc: “No, I rate my season actually high. I think I’ve done a good job. But again, there are always things that you can do better. I’m not going to go into detail because this is where we’re speaking. As I was saying, as I’ve said also in the past, I think the first year it was very clear what were my weaknesses because as a driver, I mean, I arrived from Formula 2 and the weaknesses are just much bigger. But then you work on them and you focus always in smaller details.
“And now it’s smaller details, but it still makes the difference, especially when you see a qualifying like in Brazil, the sprint quali, for example. In a tent, you can go from out in Q1 to get in Q3 and have an incredible weekend. That’s all down to the small details. You can do better as a driver. So that’s where I will focus on. And again, I think you can always do better. So, no matter how well I’m doing, I can do better. And that’s always been my mentality. And that will be my mentality going forward as well.”
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