Ferrari’s fiery fallout: Button and Kravitz blast Elkann’s driver dig

Ferrari chairman John Elkann caused a stir earlier this week with unusually harsh words aimed at Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, and 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button and Sky F1's Ted Kravitz didn’t hold back in their response.

Elkann’s comments came after Ferrari suffered a disastrous double DNF at the São Paulo Grand Prix, which saw the Scuderia drop to fourth in the constructors’ championship – 36 points behind Mercedes and four adrift of Red Bull with just three races remaining.

Speaking in Rome on Monday, Elkann praised Ferrari’s 2025 championship winning WEC team (run by AF Corse by the way) for its success in Bahrain and its unity before throwing his Formula 1 squad under the bus.

“Looking at the Formula 1 championship, we can say that we have our mechanics, who are basically winning the championship with their performance and everything that has been done on the pitstops. Our engineers have undoubtedly improved the car,” the Italian said.

“But when it comes to the rest, it is still not up to par. And surely we have drivers who need to focus on driving and talk less.”

The remarks sparked immediate reaction from the F1 community, including defiant social media posts from Hamilton and Leclerc, with the pair projecting unity and commitment to Ferrari’s cause.

Responding to Sky Sports F1’s Instagram post quoting Elkann, Button delivered a brief but cutting reply:

“Maybe John should lead by example.”

Short, sharp, and loaded with implication, the former Grand Prix driver’s comment landed like a jolt, highlighting the disconnect many feel between Ferrari’s top brass and the Scuderia.

Kravitz Calls Out Ferrari’s Flaws

Sky F1’s pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz also waded into the controversy, delivering a passionate defense of Leclerc and Hamilton on The F1 Show.

“Let’s not forget that the people that got Ferrari to second in the constructors’ championship were Charles and Lewis, because they were just plugging in the points,” Kravitz said, reminding viewers of the drivers’ role in keeping Ferrari competitive earlier in the season.

He didn’t stop there, pointing to deeper issues with the team’s machinery.

“And let’s not forget that this car has a fundamental flaw in it that the Belgium upgrade was not able to correct in terms of the Belgium plank and not being able to run the car low and not being able to find a fix around that.”

Kravitz argued that Hamilton and Leclerc have been carrying Ferrari despite these technical shortcomings.

“So it’s the drivers who have been getting the points in and for Elkann to publicly single them out… The drivers have got broad shoulders, Lewis did that message on social media, did you notice Charles Leclerc put one out as well?” he noted.

“They were putting out a united front saying ‘look, we are only thinking of the best of the team’. That’s clearly what the drivers are thinking.

“It’s fine for Elkann to say what he wants, he’s the president of the team, but to say the drivers should think less about themselves and more about the team, the drivers are thinking about the team, of course they are.”

Reflecting on Elkann’s timing, Kravitz speculated: “Maybe they caught Elkann at a point where he’d seen a double DNF, it’s the worst for a team, nobody likes to see a double DNF, that’s obvious. Whether Elkann will come to think whether his comments were a bit strong, I don’t know.”

He also questioned how the drivers could respond diplomatically to such public criticism.

“What’s Lewis going to say? And what’s Charles going to say? ‘Oh I’m fine with it’. No one will buy that. You can’t deny what’s happening.”

• Read also: Defiant Hamilton delivers counterpunch to Elkann’s rebuke

Kravitz’s remarks underline a key point: despite Ferrari’s disappointment in Brazil, it was the drivers who consistently delivered points under challenging circumstances. Publicly targeting them, as Elkann did, is seen by many insiders as a misstep.

Button’s short, sharp reply, combined with Kravitz’s detailed defense, reflects the wider sentiment in the F1 paddock: Ferrari’s drivers have been doing the heavy lifting, and criticism at the top may be poorly timed.

Whether Elkann will reconsider his remarks – or double down as the season winds to its close – remains to be seen, but the backlash shows that even a chairman can’t fire a shot across the bow without pushback.

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