Lewis Hamilton rejects talk of Ferrari discord after Elkann criticism

Lewis Hamilton has dismissed suggestions of friction within Ferrari after team chairman John Elkann's recent comments that he and teammate Charles Leclerc should "focus on driving and talk less".

Hamilton told reporters in Las Vegas on Wednesday that he remained in frequent contact with Elkann and had not taken the remarks personally.

“John and I, we speak almost every week, so we have a great relationship,” he said. “I didn’t have a reaction to it. We look into those things too much.”

Charles Leclerc offered a similar interpretation, describing Elkann as “very ambitious” and intent on pushing the team to maximise results.

“He loves Ferrari, I love Ferrari, we all love Ferrari and we try to do the best in every situation,” Leclerc said.

Ferrari arrive at the Las Vegas Grand Prix after a double retirement in São Paulo on Sunday, their third race of the season without points from either driver. Runners-up to McLaren last year, they have dropped to fourth in the constructors’ standings behind McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull.

Hamilton, in his first season with the team, said responsibility for the downturn was shared across Ferrari’s operations. He insisted morale remained intact despite inconsistent performances.

“I joined this team knowing full well that it takes time to steer a ship in a different direction,” he said. “There are so many little parts and we can’t fix it quickly.”

The recent setbacks had reinforced the team’s resilience, Hamilton added.

“It’s like we’re climbing up a mountain and then you arrive at the weekend and you slip a few steps back or 10 steps back and you have to then get back up and try again,” he said. “I back this team 100% and I back myself 100%.”

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