Charles Leclerc breaks silence after Ferrari issues ‘talk less’ rebuke
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc faces the media ahead of the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc has insisted that Ferrari chairman John Elkann was “trying to be positive” with his “talk less” comment in the aftermath of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Ferrari has endured a disappointing F1 2025 season with the team still without a win ahead of the final three rounds in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Charles Leclerc: Ferrari chairman wanted to convey ‘positive’ message
The Scuderia recorded a second double DNF in seven races at the last round in Brazil, where Leclerc and teammate Lewis Hamilton were eliminated due to collision damage.
Speaking after the race, Elkann claimed that some elements of the team are “not up to par” and urged Leclerc and Hamilton to “focus on driving” and “talk less.”
Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc: Ferrari head-to-head scores for F1 2025
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
Responding to the Ferrari chairman’s comments ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, Leclerc insisted that Elkann was keen to send a “positive” message to the team.
He said: “John and I have known each other since many, many years, so we have a very good relationship and obviously we’ve been working together for many years.
“So we know each other and I know John is a very ambitious person and wants to push every person to the maximum in order to have the maximum results.
“He loves Ferrari, I love Ferrari, we all love Ferrari and we try to do the best in every situation.
“So, the news, John called me before that, just like he does after every race to catch up and to also tell me that the message he wanted to send was a positive one in saying: ‘We need to do better.’
“That is clear for everyone, so really we are aligned and I’ll do absolutely everything in order to bring back Ferrari to the top.
“This I’ve always said in the past and I’ve always tried my best.
“I’ll try to do better and that really is the priority in the team and what we want to achieve.”
Asked how he can consider Elkann’s message a positive when the chairman’s comments were targeted at the drivers, Leclerc replied: “Because John has always been very honest with me and I think that is very rare.
“I’ve seen that throughout my career. When you’re in Formula 2, Formula 3, it’s very easy to actually meet people that are honest with you.
“When you get to Formula 1 and your status changes a little bit, it’s a lot more difficult to actually find people that are honest with you.
“John has always been extremely honest with me and when he thinks I’ve done something wrong, or that anybody has done something wrong in the team, he will say it.
“And when he called me, he told me what were the intentions of his words.
“That was very clear. It was a positive message, trying to be positive.
“Then, whichever way it’s been expressed, I cannot really comment and it’s not my job to comment.
“But the intent was positive and that’s what really matters to me, so that’s why I’m fine with that.
“And then whatever there is around the team, I cannot control so I don’t spend too much energy on that.”
Asked if the wider team shares his view that Elkann’s comments are to be regarded as positive, he said: “For the wider team – for the whole team – it doesn’t [come across as negative].
“It didn’t come across as negative because, again, there was the explanation straight away, so there’s not been any bad repercussions on that.”
Asked specifically about Elkann’s insinuation that he and Hamilton should “talk less”, he added: “Again, I wouldn’t take [personally], words by words, what’s been said.
“Again, I’ve been speaking with John and I know what he wanted to get at and that’s enough for me.”
Put to him that he surely cannot focus any more than he already does, he added: “You can always do more. You can always do more, you can always do better.
“And in everything I do, of course, I breathe Formula 1.
“I breathe Ferrari especially and I’ve been a fan since forever and I always will be.
“You do your best, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot do better.
“I always take critics in a constructive way. There’s no hard feelings whatsoever.
“And again, the intentions of these words were positive and not negative and we’ll just keep trying to do better.
“It was definitely not specific to that race [Brazil], but it was more a broader view of the situation and the season and just trying to again push us to do better, which is what we’ll try to do.”
More on Charles Leclerc and Ferrari from PlanetF1.com
Ferrari sits fourth in the constructors’ standings entering the Las Vegas Grand Prix, trailing third-placed Red Bull by three points with Mercedes a further 32 points ahead in second.
Despite the team’s disappointing 2025 season, the new regulations for the F1 2026 season – featuring 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics – will offer the opportunity for a competitive shake up.
Asked if the timing of Elkann’s comments came as a surprise given the importance of unity in the countdown to 2026, Leclerc said: “Again, it’s not for me to comment but [in terms of] unity [the message] is very much: we are united.
“This is a message that is very important that it’s passed.
“I do understand that there’s a lot of fuss around the team at the moment, but the relationship that John and I have, and John and the team has, doesn’t change at all.
“He’s been very clear with what he said, as I said.
“He’s always been very honest with us – when he says something, he means it – and he spoke to all of us, just like he does on a regular basis.
“It’s very clear what he’s intending to say and that’s good for us.”
Read next: Lewis Hamilton’s ‘reaction’ to Ferrari president’s ‘not up to par’ comment
