Elkann reportedly irritated by Hamilton-Leclerc clash as Ferrari return to scene of 'talk less' rebuke

Most of the reaction so far has focused on team principal Fred Vasseur, who turned down Leclerc's explanation for the incident, as GPblog reported. The latest reports suggest the frustration goes beyond the pit wall.

Italian journalist, Giuliano Duchessa of AutoRacer.it, reported that Elkann was particularly unhappy with what he saw and heard following the race in Mexico. The incident cost Ferrari a potential victory and possibly even a one-two finish. Hamilton had started from pole, his first for Ferrari. Leclerc was given a five-second penalty, Max Verstappen took the win, Hamilton finished second and Leclerc fourth.

Virgilio also wrote that the Ferrari president, who has often stressed the value of unity, appears to have been rather irritated by the whole episode.

On Sky Italia, presenter Mara Sangiorgio said much the same. She said: "Vasseur publicly criticised both of his drivers in Mexico, and Elkann was certainly not happy after what he saw, also because the missed opportunities are starting to add up."

Other reports in Italy went a step further and pinned part of the blame on Elkann himself. In its view, he made a mistake by bringing Lewis Hamilton to Maranello without either parting ways with Charles Leclerc or clearly establishing the Monegasque as the central figure in the project.

Former team boss Maurizio Arrivabene had his own verdict on Sky Italia: "Both braked too late in the decisive moment, but Lewis had the experience to stay on the track, while Leclerc made a fool of himself."

This would not be the first time Elkann has lost patience with his drivers around Brazil. Hamilton and Leclerc both retired from the 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix, and that result resulted in the Maranello outfit slipping from second to fourth in the constructors' standings. The next day, at an event in Rome linked to the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, Elkann called the weekend a huge disappointment. He said the drivers had to focus on driving and talk less, and added: "We need drivers who do not think about themselves, but who think about Ferrari".

Both drivers played the comments down a week and a half later in Las Vegas. "John and I, we speak every week," Hamilton said at the time, while Leclerc insisted: "We are aligned and I will do absolutely everything in order to bring Ferrari back to the top".

This time the questions will have to wait a little longer for one of the two. Leclerc will miss Thursday's media duties at Interlagos after rushing back to Monaco following the Mexican GP for the birth of his daughter Bianca, and he will be back for the race weekend.

However, the dispute could become another damaging public row for the Scuderia, and the São Paulo Grand Prix will show whether Elkann's reported irritation leads to anything concrete. Elkann has not commented publicly on Mexico. Last year, though, Interlagos was exactly where he decided to speak out.