Ferrari Chairman, Elkann, Unhappy with Drivers
After an abysmal Sao Paulo Grand Prix for Scuderia Ferrari, John Elkann did not hold back in his comments to the media.
The team walked away with a small haul of points from the sprint, topped off with a double DNF in the Grand Prix. It wasn't a weekend anyone on the team would want to remember. To add salt to the wound, they now find themselves down in fourth place in the Constructors Championship. A tough pill to swallow considering they had been in second place only a few races ago.
And Elkann, their chairman, did not hold back when talking to the press at the Italian Olympic Committee.
If we look at the season in F1, we can say we have mechanics who are winning the championship with the performances they're putting in, particularly with everything they are doing in our pit stops. If we look at our engineers, the car has undoubtedly improved. If we look at the rest, it's not up to standard.
We have drivers who need to focus more and talk less, because we still have important races to come, and finishing second in the constructors isn't impossible.
Ferrari's problems go deeper than drivers that talk too much, though. Something that has been clear to fans for a long time.
Their drivers, Leclerc and Hamilton, have been critical of the team and the car at times. However, nothing so critical that would warrant these comments from their chairman. They've been open in saying that there are issues with the car that need to be figured out because they're unable to extract much over the weekend. They've always praised the team, though and the work that everyone at the track and back in Maranello put in.
It's fair to say that this has been a season where Leclerc has been more outspoken with the car. He's less likely to put all the blame on himself for a bad weekend. And considering the team has yet to win a single race this season, he hasn't been wrong.
For Hamilton, he's been open about the fact that changes need to be made within the team. Operationally, things can be done better. But he has also commented on how things have improved since the beginning of the season. Part of the reason they seemed to want to bring Hamilton onto the team is to help guide them towards another championship, but unsurprisingly, there seems to be a lot of resistance.
What Elkann's comments have done is highlight the fundamental issue at Ferrari, they are unwilling to look inward and fix the problem. Instead, their chairman would rather point the finger at the two most public facing members of the team and let them deal with the disappointed Tifosi.
Only, it seems, that the Tifosi aren't buying it. From the comments on social media, they can't understand why Elkann has come out and made those comments because the drivers are the least of his worries.
There have been numerous problems at Ferrari over recent years. Highlighted by the fact that they have yet to win the drivers or constructors championship since 2007. In that time, the team has had three championship winning drivers in their car: Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, and now Lewis Hamilton. Vettel in particular faced a lot of resistance from the team when he tried to implement any kind of change.
And that seems to be a running theme with the Scuderia. They are unwilling to change their ways, which haven't proven to be fruitful. Instead of reflecting on current practices and what they could do better going forward, the team opt to stay rigid in their practices. Even the welcoming of a seven-time world champion has not been enough to sway the team into thinking that what they're doing might not be working.
Their lack of willingness to take chances means that the team has struggled to function with the same ease and flow that teams like Mercedes have mastered over the years. There seems to be very little balance between the drivers giving feedback and what the engineers have predicted will work. Despite having some of the best and brightest in their team, Ferrari continues to ignore the fundamental issues and seems to get further and further away from winning a championship.
Whilst John Elkann blames his drivers, the bigger issues at Ferrari continue with no end in sight.