The seven-time champion is yet to score a podium as a Ferrari driver, excluding Sprint races. He claimed victory in the Sprint in China and finished third in Miami, but he is at risk of going without a Grand Prix podium in a season for the first time in his career.
Hamilton has not adapted to the SF-25 and has constantly complained about the car, its upgrades and Ferrari’s operations. He has been sending private documents to the team behind the scenes, but it has done little to improve his fortunes.
The Brit qualified last at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but he managed to fight up into the points and finish 10th in the race. However, it was not the response to Elkann’s criticism that he would have hoped for.
Lewis Hamilton told to be more constructive to the media after John Elkann comments
Lewis Hamilton’s sustained frustration during the 2025 season, reflected in public complaints about the Ferrari SF-25 and his description of the season as his “worst ever” (following the Las Vegas GP), prompted Ferrari Chairman John Elkann to publicly advise Hamilton and Leclerc to “focus more on driving and talk less” about the team’s struggles.
Former F1 driver Christijan Albers fully agrees with Elkann’s stance. Sharing his opinion on the De Telegraaf podcast, Albers stressed that Hamilton needs to adjust how he communicates his criticisms to the public:
“I did think that John Elkann was right in his statement, that those guys should focus on racing and all that kind of stuff for once… I agree with him, and I’ll tell you why I agree with him.”
Albers then clarified that his opinion goes beyond simple support for the Chairman, moving into an analysis of drivers’ responsibilities to the media. According to Albers:
“I think, when you get to that square, at that pen where those guys all have to do an interview, I think you have to give those journalists something to work with.”
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Albers points out the core issue:
“And I think that lately it’s been very easy to say: ‘Yes, we’re just not fast enough.’ Yes, that’s competition. I mean, we have that everywhere, of course.”
Albers’ underlying message is that Hamilton is providing overly generic and unconstructive remarks. He advises the 40-year-old driver to deliver more insightful, detailed analysis regarding the car’s issues, rather than just merely lamenting the results, thereby demonstrating professionalism and providing real value to the media.