Ferrari’s chairman made a bold statement to his F1 drivers, telling them to ‘focus on driving’.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have both spoken out (Image: Getty)

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have both made Instagram posts with messages of support for their Ferrari engineers and fans, just hours after chairman John Elkann told them to ‘focus on driving and talk less’.

Last weekend was a rollercoaster weekend for Ferrari in motorsport. The Italian outfit won both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships at the World Endurance Championship finale in Bahrain, with Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi celebrating the ultimate success with the No.50 machine.

However, the Brazilian Grand Prix was an unmitigated disaster. Hamilton clipped his front wing on the rear of Franco Colapinto’s Alpine, dislodging the component and sending it into the underbody of his SF-25. The Brit tried to power on, but the damage caused was too significant, and he was forced to retire from the race.

Leclerc also failed to take the chequered flag. On lap six, after a safety car restart, the Monegasque racer was collected as an innocent bystander when Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli tangled on the inside at Turn One.

As a result of the double-DNF, Ferrari head into the season-ending triple header fourth in the World Championship, 26 points behind Mercedes and four behind Red Bull. This prompted an explosive interview response from Elkann.

John Elkann was in Bahrain for Ferrari’s WEC success (Image: Getty)

“We won the WEC title – when Ferrari is united, you get results,” he said. “[But] Brazil was a huge disappointment. If we look at the Formula One championship, we can say that our mechanics are winning the championship with their performance and everything they’ve done on the pit stops.

“If we look at our engineers, there’s no doubt that the car has improved. If we look at the rest, it’s not up to par. And we certainly have drivers for whom it’s important that they focus on driving and talk less.”

Hours after the interview spread around the F1 community, the drivers spoke out indirectly. Taking to Instagram, Hamilton posted: “Brazil. Thank you for all the love, always. In the end, it wasn’t the race we wanted. It’s gutting, especially after some good progress, but we will move on. I back my team. I back myself. I will not give up. Not now, not then, not ever.”

Leclerc also made his own post, adding: “A very difficult weekend in São Paulo. Disappointing to come back home with nearly no points at all for the team in what is a critical moment of the season to fight for the 2nd place in the constructors championship. It’s uphill from now and it’s clear that only unity can help us tun that situation around in the last 3 races. We’ll give it all, as always.”