Ferrari’s turmoil explained amid Elkann's comments and F1 Brazil GP double-DNF

09:24, 18 Nov

Updated: 09:37, 18 Nov

byOlly Darcy

Former F1 driver Jenson Button and F1 commentator David Croft have broken down the current situation at Ferrari amid their tumultuous 2025 Formula 1 season.

"They've always had a lot of pressure on them to perform."

- Jenson Button

A disastrous Sao Paulo Grand Prix saw both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton retire from the 71-lap race, seeing them drop from P2 in the constructors' championship down to fourth place, now sitting 36 points off Mercedes in second.

Comments then made by Ferrari chairman John Elkann, saying Ferrari has "drivers who need to focus on driving and talk less”, received plenty of backlash, with questions posed about an unravelling situation at Ferrari.

"It was a lot of points lost, a massive change in the points from second to fourth in the constructors'," Button started by saying on Sky Sports' 'The F1 Show'.

Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari chairman John Elkann - Photo: Race Pictures

"It hurts, but it's still a long way to go, and it's still close enough that if they have a couple of good results, they're going to finish P2 in the constructors.

"They're racing against one of their main rivals, where, pretty much, only one driver is scoring points, so you'd think it would be easy to beat Red Bull. Mercedes is a little different because both drivers are in really good form at the moment.

"Ferrari has two of the best drivers in the world, and if they have a straightforward weekend, with no incidents, I think they'll pick up some good points. As long as the atmosphere is good in the team, because that definitely makes a difference."

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The environment at Ferrari has been a major talking point, exacerbated by the comments made by Elkann, with Jacques Villenueve one of many to have his say on the situation behind the scenes at the Scuderia.

There was also some advice handed out to Elkann after his comments, with former team owner Gian Carlo Minardi giving his thoughts to the chairman of Ferrari.

"I think the atmosphere is not as bad as bad can be, but I'm not sure Elkann's comments really helped motivate either of the drivers on that one," explained Croft as he weighed in on the situation.

"I did wonder as well if that was a thinly veiled message to Lewis? Stop trying to send things out to people at Ferrari and tell us how to do our job; just get on with what you're paid to do, rather than stop talking in the media. I'm not sure it's gone down hugely well with the team that have a set way of doing things because they're Ferrari, and it has brought them success over the years."

'Ferrari have always had a lot of pressure'

Button, who already responded to Elkann's comments bluntly, then chimed back in: "Ferrari have always had a lot of pressure on them to perform.

"Every F1 team does, but especially Ferrari. You've got the whole of Italy wanting Ferrari to win races. There's so much outside pressure, and internally for the whole team, and that's for everyone in that team, so I get it.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for Ferrari's Las Vegas GP merchandise collection with Puma and Ray-Ban -Source: Ferrari

"But John only has two cars in the red garage. It's very easy to find your racing driver and go and talk to him and say, 'You know what? That's not cool. That's not the way we do business. That's not the way we work as a team. These are the guidelines. I get it, you're trying to help, but this is how it's always been.'

"Communication is the best thing in anything, but especially in a team when you have thousands of people working to develop a car, and you've got two drivers who are two of the best in the world. Just go and have a chat. They have a lot of experience racing for the best teams in the sport."

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