Ferrari F1 fallout: John Elkann could not be more wrong about Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari

Ferrari fallout: John Elkann could not be more wrong about Lewis Hamilton

John Elkann has created quite a stir with his recent comments

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 12 November 2025 13:40

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John Elkann could not be more wrong about seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton; he does not need to 'talk less'.

The Ferrari chairman made the comments when speaking to the Italian media after the Brazilian Grand Prix, stating that Ferrari needed two competitors who would focus on their driving.

Okay, the Brazilian Grand Prix was not ideal, with the team facing two DNFs and plummeting to fourth in the constructors' championship, but certainly Leclerc's DNF was through no fault of his own.

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Despite Ferrari's struggles all season long, both Hamilton and Leclerc have been vocal about the issues within the team, and what needs to change in order for them to become a championship-winning outfit once more.

Sure, Hamilton's form has been way short of a driver that looks like he could challenge for a title anytime soon, but he's a seven-time world champion, the most successful driver in the history of the sport!

Since Ferrari last won a championship of any kind, Hamilton has won six, so he's definitely in a position to give the team a few pointers when it comes to advice about trying to build a championship-winning team.

Here's why John Elkann needs to 'talk less' - and not Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton's powerful voice

Besides the obvious F1 performance benefits that Ferrari could gain from Hamilton talking more, the 40-year-old is also vitally important to F1, in the way that he leads the debate on a range of key issues.

As Hamilton himself recently said, since Sebastian Vettel left the sport in 2022, Hamilton is the only driver who tends to speak out on important issues outside of motorsport, whether that be the environment or social inequality.

Indeed, Hamilton has set up a range of charitable organisations outside of F1, including Mission 44 which seeks to drive change so that every young person can thrive in school and access careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

That project, aimed specifically to help children from underrepresented backgrounds, recently gained traction from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who met with Hamilton to discuss the ways in which schools can become a more inclusive environment for all students.

Now, it would be unfair to suggest that Elkann was talking specifically about Hamilton's charity work, especially given the fact that he and Ferrari have reportedly invested lots of money in Hamilton's off-track ventures as part of his lucrative Ferrari contract.

But, if Hamilton were to 'talk less' and focus more on his driving, where would that voice be coming from in F1?

Vettel, as evidenced by the Brazilian Grand Prix, still has to come back to the F1 paddock to try and bring light to environmental issues, with too many of today's drivers 'talking less'.

So, no thanks Mr Elkann, we'll have Hamilton, Leclerc and all the other competitors on the F1 grid talking as much as they'd like to, and if at all possible, we would like to hear more from you too on environmental and social issues as a powerful leader in the automotive industry.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari John Elkann