Sky Sports F1’s Jenson Button believes Ferrari chairman John Elkann should have talked to Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton instead of criticizing the drivers.
Following two retirements at the last Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Elkann said Leclerc and Hamilton needed to “talk less and focus on driving”.
Ferrari missed out on the constructors’ championship last year by just 14 points to McLaren and are without a grand prix win this year, with Hamilton yet to stand on the podium in his first season in red.
Hamilton and Leclerc are expected to be asked about Elkann’s comments on Thursday at media day for this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“There’s always a lot of pressure on Ferrari to perform, like any F1 team but especially Ferrari. All of Italy wants Ferrari to win races,” Button told Sky Sports F1’s The F1 Show.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the whole team, both externally and internally. And it’s on everyone in the team. So, understandable, there’s a lot of pressure.
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Simon Lazenby, Bernie Collins and Ted Kravitz discuss Ferrari chairman John Elkann’s comment that Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc should “talk less and focus on driving”
“But John only has two cars in his red garage. It’s very easy to find a racing driver and talk to him and say, ‘You know what? That’s not cool. That’s not the way we do business. That’s not the way we work as a team. These are guidelines,’ or ‘Let’s talk about why we need to do this. Why do you feel the need to send this or that?'”
“Okay, you’re trying to help, but this has always been the case at Ferrari. Communication is the most important thing in everything, but especially in a team where there are thousands of people working on a car and two of the best drivers in the world. Just go and have a chat.”
“Not only have they raced with some of the best teams in the sport, but they have a wealth of experience.”
Button: Getting Hamilton on the podium is important for F1
Hamilton has made headlines for his preparations for the season since joining Ferrari, but it has been a very difficult season since winning the sprint pole at the second race in China.
The 40-year-old was eliminated in the second half of the sprint qualifying and qualifying last time in Brazil, and fell 16-5 to Leclerc in the head-to-head competition in the main qualifying.
Hamilton has never finished a season without finishing on the podium, and that run could end this year.
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Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton loses Q2 at Sao Paulo GP
“It’s a shame that he hasn’t performed as well as we expected. It took him a while to understand the car in the first half of the year,” Button said.
“As I see it, that’s the problem at the moment. These cars are very unique in the way they drive. And everything is different, so it takes time.”
“Every driver has a hard time when you jump into a new, new team, but the last few races I’ve been performing well. There were a few little things that didn’t go my way, but my performance compared to Charles was pretty much OK in qualifying for the race.”
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Lewis Hamilton gutted in Brazil after damage, early pit stop, penalty and early retirement
“They just need to tweak it a little bit so they don’t make any little mistakes in qualifying. I think they’re aiming for the podium and I think everyone wants to see that.”
“I think it’s very important for the sport to see Ferrari on the podium and to see Lewis on the podium. And if Ferrari can fight for wins at the end of the season, that would be great for Ferrari as well.”
Sky Sports F1 Las Vegas GP Schedule
Thursday, November 20th
2am: Driver press conference
5am: Paddock uncut
Friday, November 21st
12:00am: Las Vegas GP Practice 1 (Session starts at 12:30am)*
1:55am: F1 Academy practice*
2:50 a.m.: Team representative press conference
3:45am: Las Vegas GP Practice 2 (session starts at 4am)*
5:25am: F1 Academy Qualifying*
6.10am: F1 Show*
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments that happened at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Saturday, November 22nd
12:15am: Las Vegas GP Practice 3 (Session starts at 12:30am)*
2:10am: F1 Academy Race 1*
3am: Las Vegas GP qualifying build-up*
4am: Las Vegas GP Qualifying*
6am: Ted’s Qualification Notes*
Sunday, November 23rd
12:15am: F1 Academy Race 2
2:30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Las Vegas GP Build-up*
4am: Las Vegas Grand Prix*
6am: Checkered flag: Las Vegas Grand Prix reaction*
7am: Ted’s Notes*
*The main event will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports
F1’s thrilling title race continues with this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
