In an unprecedented move, Ferrari chairman John Elkann has publicly criticised his team's drivers.

He hit out following the Maranello outfit's third point-less weekend of the season, one which saw the team drop to fourth in the standings, four points behind Red Bull, whose driver, Max Verstappen, has scored just 21 points less than Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton combined.

"Brazil was a huge disappointment," Elkann is quoted as saying by Sky Italia. "If we look at the Formula 1 championship, we can say that our mechanics are winning the championship with their performance and everything they've done on the pit stops.

"If we look at our engineers, there's no doubt that the car has improved," he added. "If we look at the rest, it's not up to par.

"We have drivers who it's important that they focus on driving and talk less, because we still have important races ahead of us and it's not impossible to get second place," he insisted. "In Bahrain, we won the WEC title. When Ferrari is united, you get results."

While both drivers appear too easily distracted by outside interests, it should not be forgotten that the Maranello outfit has history in failing to provide world-class drivers with the equipment needed to do the business, the likes of Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel being prime examples.

However, despite claims that engineers are unhappy with the constant criticism, particularly from Hamilton, one has to wonder if someone is bending Elkann's ear in terms of making his feelings so public.

Perhaps a good friend, a former team boss, someone with recent experience of winning titles, someone looking for a return to the pitlane.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Burton, 4 minutes ago

"Doesn't he have court-ordered community service to do from stealing money from his mum? Is that the guy to listen to, not the two utterly brilliant Ferrari drivers? What a joke."

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2. Posted by Chester, 8 minutes ago

"I'm not sure I blame Leclerc much. He podiumed the prior two races. Agree with Editor here, something is behind the scenes here.

But it could just be Elkann seeing Verstappen and Bearman succeeding despite not having the best equipment- and wondering out-loud, why can't my drivers do the same?"

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3. Posted by JamesD, 20 minutes ago

"@Kenji - Hamilton bashing again huh ? You really can't help yourself can you !"

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4. Posted by Wokingchap, 23 minutes ago

"He praises the engineers etc even though the car is naff.... lack of grip, doesn’t steer etc. Come on ferrari get it sorted!"

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5. Posted by JamesD, 52 minutes ago

"I'm not sure that's the best policy Mr Elkann. I was advised by an old boss to 'praise in public, b*****k in the boardroom' and how found it to work well."

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6. Posted by kenji, 2 hours ago

"Given the ROI from the massive investment and spin given to their latest aquisition in '25 Elkann must be feeling the heat a little! "

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Ferrari chairman blasts Leclerc and Hamilton

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