Hamilton fires back at Ferrari chief after 'talk less' order

08:28, 20 Nov

Updated: 09:50, 20 Nov

byNorberto Mujica

Lewis Hamilton has responded to Ferrari chairman John Elkann's comments bidding their drivers to talk less and focus on driving.

"I mean, I'm always willing to do less media."

- Lewis Hamilton.

Photo: Race Pictures

Ferrari's season has not been up to the team's standards, which is yet to score a single Grand Prix win after twenty one rounds. After the Brazil double DNF debacle Elkann said that the team had made improvements in all areas, suggesting the drivers had not been up to par, and advised both Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc to be quiet and simply go about driving their cars as fast as they could.

In Las Vegas Hamilton assessed the comments made by the chairman. "Yeah, I mean, John and I, we speak almost every week, so we have a great relationship," he said. "I didn't have a reaction to it, but I don't really look into those things too much."

Hamilton is 'happy to do less media'

In the moments following Elkann's comments, Hamilton - and Leclerc - posted messages on social media, which were thought to be a response. "It wasn't reaction," Hamilton clarified. "I actually hadn't even seen it and I posted, and I was flying. So, it's not [until] I got home when I heard about it. So it wasn't a reaction to it at all."

The seven-time world champion then quipped: "I mean, I'm always willing to do less media," a comment which made the present crowd burst into laughter. "But no, seriously, I think we all need to take responsibility in this team and we all need to play our part," he added in a more serious tone.

"And I know that there's so much passion in this team, every single member of this team. I mean, I'm incredibly grateful for the extraordinary effort every single person back at the factory continues to put in week on week.

Photo: Race Pictures

"And naturally, knowing that the team is Ferrari, there's always a huge amount of attention. Not always in a positive way, but we're all fully committed to turn this around and I'm fully committed to helping this team rebuild and grow.

"Every challenge is an opportunity for us to grow and learn. I firmly believe that we will get to where we want to be," Hamilton concluded.

Hamilton makes 'special' Las Vegas announcement

The seven-time world champion is facing his toughest F1 season yet. Although he's consistently shown pace comparable to Charles Leclerc since the Dutch Grand Prix, he's been hampered by grid penalties, crashes, and time penalties.

However, regardless the setbacks and admonishing comments from Ferrari chairman John Elkann, Hamilton remains defiant and motivated, unveiling a bespoke helmet for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Click here to have a look at Hamilton's Las Vegas GP helmet.

Get the latest F1 news with GPblog's Paddock Update

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.