Ferrari's problems extend far beyond its star drivers

For all intents and purposes, a few off-the-cuff comments from John Elkann last week have caused quite the maelstrom in the helter-skelter world that is Scuderia Ferrari.

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And what is even more concrete, given the backlash triggered, is that the Ferrari chair’s interview very much did not have the intent, nor the purpose, desired.

To recap, off the back of Ferrari’s victory in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Bahrain and, on the same weekend, Ferrari's double DNF in the Brazilian Grand Prix, Elkann praised the engineers and mechanics at Ferrari F1 for their car improvements and rapid pit-stops in recent months. That, in itself, was questionable. But then came the main soundbite.

“If we look at the rest, it’s not up to par,” he stated. “And we certainly 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.”

Eh? It seemed almost too fanciful to be true. Was Elkann really calling out Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc – on paper the best driver lineup in the sport – for the team’s shortcomings this season? Not the dud of a car, which has been the fourth-fastest on the grid?

To their credit, with nine days to reflect, Hamilton and Leclerc did not bite back against their big boss ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. Hamilton stated he has a “great relationship” with Elkann, who was, no doubt, a key player in the Briton swapping Mercedes silver for Ferrari red.