Ferrari, in the middle of a crisis and with internal darts

John Elkann, president of the Rossa, was lapidary with his drivers and drew a harsh comparison with the recent success that the brand had in the WEC. Lewis Hamilton responded from his social networks and Charles Leclerc could enter the 2027 market.

Ferrari exploded into the air after the San Pablo GP, the 21st round of Formula 1. Just on the same weekend in which Maranello celebrated the brands and drivers title in the Endurance World Championship in Bahrain, on the other side of the world, in Brazil, the Rossa closed one of its worst performances of the year in the top category. For the third time in the season, the red cars closed a Sunday without points in 2025, although in the case of China it was due to the double technical disqualification. The forgettable performance of Interlagos plunged the Scuderia into a deeper crisis that worsened because they went from fighting for the runners-up position in the Constructors to falling to fourth place, behind Red Bull, which has only one driver, and was 36 points behind Mercedes, the current runner-up to the already champion McLaren. But that was only part of it, because subsequent statements lit the fuse even more.

The abandonments of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton on Sunday in Brazil were different, although no less painful. The Monegasque started third and had the chance to finish, at least, among the five, but in the restart after the safety car he ended up involved in the carom of the first corner after the contact between Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli. But it was the seven-time champion, who incredibly made a miscalculation and collided with Franco Colapinto from behind, damaged his wing and, although he tried to continue after changing it, he finally gave up.

The internal quarrels are now unconcealable. During sprint qualifying, Leclerc spun near the end of the final Q2 attempt and that caused Hamilton to be unable to improve his time. Result: did not reach Q3. “It’s the same as always, friend,” was the Englishman’s laconic message on the radio. In the San Pablo paddock there was already talk of something that seemed impossible just ten months ago: Leclerc would also enter the market by 2027, a year in which many heavy changes are expected. Will Ferrari have a totally different duo in 2027? Nobody dares to rule out the option.

“It’s a nightmare. “I’m living the contrast between the dream of racing for this incredible team and then the nightmare of the results we’ve had,” said Hamilton before leaving Brazil. The long faces of the team members were evident in the Interlagos sunset. Almost 10,000 kilometers away was John Elkann, the president of Ferrari, who was participating in an event in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Asked about the team’s current events in F1, the priest was forceful.

“Brazil was a big disappointment. If we analyze the Formula 1 championship, we can say that our mechanics are winning the championship with their performance and everything they have done in the pit stops. If we look at our engineers, there is no doubt that the car has improved. As for the rest, it is not up to par. We have drivers who should concentrate on racing and talk less”Elkann shot on Sky Italia.

The Ferrari president went a little further and made a comparison between the F1 and WEC structures. “Winning both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships shows that when Ferrari is united, when everyone works together, we can achieve really great things.”

Hamilton picked up the glove and from his social networks sent a response without mentioning Elkann, the main promoter of his arrival at Ferrari: “I support my team. I trust myself. I will not give up. Not now, not then, not ever.” Lecler, meanwhile, said: “It is clear that only unity can help us reverse this situation in the last three races. We will give it our all, as always.”

Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi are the three remaining seasons of the 76th season of F1. Ferrari will have to rearm itself and try to finish as best as possible an unfortunate season from which it hoped to get much more. For now, the only team with a perfect presence in all the world championships has accumulated 25 races without winning. And the internal climate flew through the air.