John Elkann told to focus on the ‘real issue’ at Ferrari by McLaren insider after blaming his drivers

Follow us on Google Discover

John Elkann stunned the F1 paddock with his fierce comments about Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s performances this season, and the team principal of McLaren’s IndyCar entry has given his verdict on the matter.

The chairman of the luxury automotive brand launched an attack on his two star drivers after the conclusion of the Brazilian GP, which saw both Ferrari cars retire from the race and add no points to their championship tally.

Elkann highlighted how both Leclerc and Hamilton need to ‘focus on driving and talk less’, after stating how the engineers and mechanics are performing perfectly well.

F1 fans leapt to the defence of Hamilton following the comments, with the Brit’s poor performances this season pinning him as the scapegoat behind the words.

READ MORE: Guenther Steiner’s assessment of John Elkann’s attack on Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc is spot on

Tony Kanaan tells John Elkann to focus on the ‘real issue’ at Ferrari instead of blaming his F1 drivers

On a recent episode of Drive to Wynn, host Justin Bell was joined by the team principal of Arrow McLaren, the British constructor’s IndyCar entry, Tony Kanaan.

Kanaan is a close confidante of former Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello, with the pair of drivers once using each other’s helmets during the most prestigious events of their respective categories in 2006.

Asked for his opinion on Elkann’s comments about their current driver line-up, the Brazilian said, “Ferrari is always going to be Ferrari; you’re never going to be bigger than Ferrari. Look at [Fernando] Alonso, [Sebastian] Vettel, and Rubens [Barrichello].

“I mean, I lived that with Rubens. It’s such a… The culture there, it’s Ferrari. They’re going to protect it, and you’re never going to be bigger than them. So no matter what, people are going to tell you what to do.

“The respect needs to be more of you towards Ferrari than actually Ferrari towards you. Unless you’re Michael Schumacher. That’s what’s happening there. The drivers are getting frustrated because they need to be vocal about it.

“These people don’t want to talk about it because that’s not what they do. Then obviously, it takes a toll on the drivers and all of a sudden then the guy comes out of Brazil with, ‘They should talk less because they will do better.’

“That tells you how little the guy has of an awareness of what the real issue is.”

READ MORE: Fred Vasseur phone call may have sparked Ferrari chairman John Elkann’s ‘attack’ on Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton previously revealed how he feels about following in the footsteps of previous F1 champions who failed at Ferrari

In an attempt to aid engineers in providing him with a competitive car, Hamilton revealed that he sent documents for Ferrari to look at, which would help combat some of the issues that he had been experiencing.

Some Ferrari staff ‘resented’ Hamilton for his input and dismissed it immediately, which tells you all you need to know regarding the ‘culture’ that Kanaan alluded to in his comments.

The move from Hamilton came ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix in July, and with the Scuderia being no further ahead than they were at the time, their dismissal of the seven-time world champion’s feedback can’t be taken lightly.

In his explanation of why he sent the documents in the first place, Hamilton noted how he didn’t want to end up like other F1 champions who failed at Ferrari.

Fernando Alonso’s 2014 comments about the Prancing Horse still ring eerily true as the iconic Italian constructor still finds themselves in the midst of the longest championship drought of their 75-year history in the sport.