EXCLUSIVE: F1 champion Damon Hill on the drama at Ferrari.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were publicly criticised by Ferrari chief John Elkann (Image: Getty)

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are likely to feel “demoralised” and “undermined” following public criticism from Ferrari’s top brass. That is according to Formula 1 icon Damon Hill, in response to executive chairman John Elkann’s recent admonishment for both drivers to “focus on driving and talk less”. This sharp remark followed a disastrous Sao Paulo Grand Prix for the Scuderia, which saw both cars retire from Sunday’s race due to damage.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Ferrari’s hypercar programme clinched both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ World Endurance Championship trophies. Elkann was in Bahrain for this triumph and used the occasion to assert: “When Ferrari is united, we get results. He also praised his F1 team’s mechanics and engineers for their work this year but added: “If we look at the rest, it is not up to scratch.”

Despite neither Hamilton nor Leclerc securing a Grand Prix victory this year, Hill is convinced that the team’s problems extend far beyond the drivers, even if the seven-time F1 champion has found his inaugural season in red challenging.

He said: “I saw the interview. I was a bit surprised at what I heard and I think a lot of people were. I didn’t notice [the drivers] saying anything outrageous, maybe I missed a few quotes somewhere. I don’t know what’s happened. They’re going to be critical. They’re part of the team, but drivers are sort of the end-user of the product. They’re not likely to say that everything’s wonderful when it clearly isn’t.

Damon Hill said a driver would feel ‘undermined’ by such a comment (Image: Getty)

“It’s a Formula 1 organisation and so there are a lot of moving parts in there. [Ferrari] have not really covered themselves in glory. They’ve had too many ups and downs this year.”

Hill, who claimed the 1996 F1 championship with Williams, proceeded to acknowledge that Elkann has every right to express his views, considering he heads the company that provides both Hamilton and Leclerc with considerable wages. However, the 65-year-old believes it’s the public manner of his remarks that could prove damaging.

He said: “It can be quite… I don’t know what the right word for it is. It’s not humiliating, but it can be demoralising a little bit. I’m sure he must have said that to them in private, but when you say something in public, then it can be undermining. But, ultimately, the Ferrari boss pays them and they’re there to do a job, so that is always the relationship.

“You’re supposed to be working for the team. If they’ve been saying the wrong things, you’re going to get some kickback every now and then. It does highlight the fact that the driver is someone who’s passing through and the team stays, particularly a team like Ferrari, is there forever. Or a long time, anyway.”