Hamilton told 'talk less' by Ferrari president

Lewis Hamilton has been told to "focus on driving and talk less" in a rebuke from the Ferrari president, John Elkann, which was almost certainly a reaction to Hamilton's outspoken description of his first season with the team as a "nightmare".

- Giles Richards

Hamilton has endured a difficult debut year with Ferrari, with the team underperforming and the seven-time champion having a trying time adapting to a new environment.

After another disappointing race at the São Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday, when forced to retire the car on lap 37, Hamilton said: "This is a nightmare and I've been living it for a while. The flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and then the nightmare of the results that we've had."

Elkann, who was instrumental in persuading Hamilton to join Ferrari and with whom the British driver is friends, gave an equally forthright response, speaking in Milan.

"They should focus on driving and talk less," he said of his two drivers.

"We still have a few races left, and it's not impossible to finish second."