Ferrari turmoil deepens as John Elkann criticizes Leclerc and Hamilton amid 2025 struggles
Ferrari are as soon as once more going through inside rigidity in the course of the 2025 Components 1 season after chairman John Elkann made headlines by suggesting that Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton ought to deal with driving and “speak much less.” The remarks have sparked contemporary hypothesis about the way forward for Ferrari’s star drivers and the steadiness of the Scuderia.
The 2025 marketing campaign has been a disappointing one for Ferrari, with the Maranello-based crew nonetheless but to safe a Grand Prix victory. Charles Leclerc has managed seven podium finishes, carrying nearly all of the crew’s factors, whereas Lewis Hamilton has struggled to achieve the podium, leaving the seven-time world champion with no single race podium after 21 rounds with Ferrari.
The one notable spotlight for Hamilton got here in the course of the second spherical in China, the place he claimed the F1 Dash from pole place. Leclerc, in the meantime, delivered Ferrari’s sole Grand Prix pole this season in Hungary throughout spherical 14. Regardless of these particular person successes, the crew’s inconsistencies have overshadowed each drivers’ efforts.
The scenario got here to a head after Ferrari suffered a double DNF in São Paulo, marking the crew’s second such setback this season. Following the race, Ferrari slipped from second to fourth within the Constructors’ Championship, amplifying stress on each drivers and the crew administration.
John Elkann’s remarks spark debate and Leclerc’s subsequent transfer
John Elkann’s feedback adopted Lewis Hamilton describing his tenure at Ferrari as a “nightmare” after retiring in São Paulo resulting from injury from a collision with Franco Colapinto. Charles Leclerc, caught up in a separate incident involving Oscar Piastri and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, emerged unscathed however nonetheless discovered himself not directly criticized by the chairman’s sweeping assertion.
Ralf Schumacher has advised that the Monegasque ought to confront John Elkann to know the reasoning behind the remarks, whereas additionally guaranteeing his administration secures a contingency plan. Schumacher advised Sky Germany that if he had been in Charles Leclerc’s place, he would search readability from the highest whereas concurrently making ready a “Plan B” for his profession, highlighting the significance {of professional} foresight in high-pressure conditions.
Schumacher added that Leclerc has persistently carried out at an distinctive stage, maximizing each his personal potential and the crew’s capabilities. He famous that Charles Leclerc’s dedication, professionalism, and private stability make him an ideal match for Ferrari, and that the younger driver ought to guarantee his profession choices stay open in case the crew setting turns into untenable.
Potential exit routes for Leclerc
Hypothesis about Leclerc’s future has been fueled additional by experiences linking him to Aston Martin, who could also be searching for a substitute for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in 2027. These developments could have influenced Elkann’s crucial statements, intensifying rumors in regards to the Monegasque driver’s potential departure.
Charles Leclerc’s supervisor, Nicolas Todt, is known to have already explored choices with Crimson Bull and different groups for 2027, guaranteeing the driving force has a transparent path ought to he determine to depart Ferrari. Though the Monegasque signed a £20m-a-year contract extension in January 2024 working by way of 2029, the settlement reportedly consists of launch clauses that might permit him to exit as early as 2026, probably even when he wins the F1 Drivers’ Championship subsequent season.
As Ferrari prepares for the sweeping 2026 F1 technical rules, John Elkann and the crew administration face the problem of sustaining driver focus and morale. Whereas Charles Leclerc continues to shoulder the majority of Ferrari’s factors this season, the continuing rigidity and off-track hypothesis underline the precarious stability between management, driver efficiency, and profession administration at one in every of Components 1’s most high-profile groups.
Ferrari should deal with resolving inside conflicts and delivering outcomes on monitor, or danger shedding one in every of their brightest skills earlier than the 2026 season even begins.
Nov 15, 2025
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