The 2025 season has been filled with pain and disappointment for Ferrari, one of Formula One’s most iconic teams. Neither Charles Leclerc nor Lewis Hamilton was ever included in the World Drivers’ Championship fight. For a while, Ferrari was second in its Constructors’-focused equivalent, but after their recent performance, they have fallen down the order. The poor results, paired with loud criticisms, led to something not many people expected to see: a civil war within the team.
Ferrari’s weekend at Interlagos was nothing short of a disaster. The team managed to get a few points in the sprint, but both drivers had to pull out of Sunday’s Grand Prix. After the race, they both commented on the disappointing weekend. While Leclerc focused mostly on the incident that took him out of contention, Hamilton referred back to the season as a whole. When interviewed by Sky Sports, he said:
“This is a nightmare, and I have been living it for a while. The flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and the nightmare of the results we have had, the ups and downs, it’s challenging.”
Hamilton still found positives in the tough situation. Later in the interview, he reiterated his hope for a better tomorrow by adding:
“I truly still believe in this team and what we can achieve together. I just have to keep pushing and keep giving them everything I can.”
The comments were balanced and more than fair, given Hamilton’s challenging season. Unfortunately, they opened a Pandora’s box that highlighted the core problems Ferrari is riddled with.
On November 10, Ferrari’s chairman, John Elkann, participated in an Olympics sponsorship event in Rome. He had a few less-than-pleasant things to say about the Formula One team. He started by stating that while the engineers and mechanics were performing well, the same couldn’t be said about the other people involved. Then, he dropped a comment that would go on to enrage many fans:
“And we definitely have drivers who need to focus on driving and talk less because we still have important races ahead of us, and getting second place is not impossible.”
The sentence was a clear dig at Hamilton, who had spoken about his “nightmare season”. At the same time, it could also be directed at Leclerc, who has previously voiced his discontent with Ferrari. Elkann didn’t stop there. To shift the responsibility away from himself, he also referred to the Italian team’s WEC performance:
“In Bahrain, we won the World Endurance Championship title. When Ferrari is united, we get results.”
Both Hamilton and Leclerc indirectly replied to the comments through social media. In his post-Brazil Instagram post, the Monegasque referred to unity as the only quality that can help Ferrari turn their situation around. His teammate concluded the caption on his post with “I back my team. I back myself. I will not give up. Not now, not then, not ever.”
It is quite ironic that Elkann is taking the time to criticize Ferrari when, currently, #ElkannOUT is gaining traction on Formula One media. Many fans believe that he is the team’s main problem. They are not the only ones holding that belief. During the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, Fred Vasseur spoke out on the problems within the team:
“We need to ask ourselves the right questions if Ferrari hasn’t won for years. We’ve changed the team principal, the drivers, and just about everything… except one thing.”
While Vasseur never clarified what exactly he was referring to in the interview, it is commonly believed that he was talking about none other than Elkann. Since he took on the chairman position in 2018, Ferrari has consistently fallen short of delivering satisfactory results. Throughout that time, the team has only managed to win 15 races and secure no championships. The results speak for themselves, especially when they come from what used to be a giant of the sport.
Ferrari is on a downward spiral, and instead of showing his support, Elkann decided to push his drivers under a bus. This isn’t what a good leader should ever do. The calls for his dismissal are rooted in much more than personal dislike. They stem from a concern for a team that seems to be lacking proper guidance, and the fear that if nothing changes, it will only continue tarnishing its legacy.
Ferrari’s internal civil war may have long-lasting consequences. In the best-case scenario, it will lead to tangible changes that will help the team return to the top. In a much worse, but also more realistic one, it may lead to drivers and officials abandoning the clearly sinking ship. The Italian giant is standing at a crossroads and its next moves may completely redefine its future.
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