Charles Leclerc's Ferrari statement - five words tell you all you need to know

Ferrari F1 star Charles Leclerc has issued a statement via social media about the team's pursuit for second in the constructors' championship, following a damning verdict from Ferrari chairman John Elkann.

Elkann told Leclerc and his seven-time world champion team-mate Lewis Hamilton that they need to 'talk less' and focus on their driving in order to help the team claim that second spot.

The Italian admitted in a statement to Italian media recently that the mechanics and engineers had performed well in 2025, but that "if we look at the rest, it's not up to par."

Elkann also pointed to Ferrari's World Endurance Championship (WEC) success this season, stating that: "When Ferrari is united, you get results."

Now, that feeling of unity has been voiced by Leclerc, who has posted a picture of him and Fred Vasseur embracing on Instagram, complete with a caption promising the team will bounce back after a difficult Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.

"A very difficult weekend in Sao Paulo," Leclerc said. "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 second place in the constructors' championship.

"It’s uphill from now and it’s clear that only unity can help us turn that situation around in the last 3 races. We’ll give it all, as always."

Those five words "only unity can help us" may just be a nod to Elkann's rather damning verdict of the two drivers and Ferrari's dismal season.

Ferrari's Brazilian GP nightmare

In a race weekend in which there were a maximum of 58 points available to teams, Ferrari scored just six in Brazil, prompting the outburst from Elkann.

They went into the weekend second in the constructors' championship, but have left Brazil down in fourth and 36 points behind Mercedes with three race weekends remaining in 2025.

But Leclerc's DNF in the grand prix was through no fault of his own when Oscar Piastri's lock up on lap seven caused a domino effect with Kimi Antonelli and then Leclerc.

Hamilton's DNF was caused by a poor qualifying which left him fighting in the pack in the early laps of the main race, but following an early collision with Franco Colapinto, there wasn't much he could do with his damaged Ferrari.

Vasseur was recently handed a new contract by Elkann and the Ferrari hierarchy, and the team should be heading into 2026 fully motivated to give Hamilton and Leclerc a car capable of challenging for the championship again when new regulations sweep into the sport next year.

It seems that's the idea for Leclerc, Hamilton and Vasseur, but Elkann's recent comments have certainly stirred the pot.

F1 HEADLINES: Ferrari chief issues brutal statement as F1 champion retires

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