Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc Appear to Respond to Ferrari Chairman's Criticism

Ferrari stars Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are both eager to rebound from a tough weekend that elicited a strong assessment from president John Elkann.

Hamilton said he "will not give up" and expressed support for his team:

Leclerc said he's still aiming for a second-place finish in the constructor standings but that "it's uphill from now and it's clear that only unity can help us turn that situation around":

That last part particularly came off like a veiled response to what Elkann had to say after Hamilton and Leclerc both failed to finish the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Ferrari chairman praised the team's mechanics and engineers but said the drivers "need to focus more and talk less."

Sometimes it's good to be brutally honest and publicly challenge your stars.

Elkann's approach was misguided at best, though, when Leclerc and Hamilton are fifth and sixth respectively in the driver standings. Few who have followed the action this year will conclude Ferrari's issues on the track are down solely to driving.

All Elkann might've achieved was alienating his Leclerc and Hamilton, with the latter being one of the most successful and respected in Formula One history.

Three races remain in the F1 season. Maybe Leclerc and Hamilton will be inspired to perform in spite of the Ferrari president if nothing else.

More likely, their results will be similar to what they've done all year, and Elkann's gambit is something that hangs over the entire Ferrari team for much of the offseason.