Lewis Hamilton defends focus after John Elkann urges ‘less talk’

Lewis Hamilton has told Ferrari chairman John Elkann that he is motivated to deliver success for the Italian team after he was urged to “talk less and focus more on his driving”.

Elkann took aim at Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc after both drivers failed to finish at the last round in Brazil.

Hamilton, who has failed to land a podium in his 21 outings for Ferrari so far, described his first season after the race in Interlagos as a “nightmare”.

But when asked if it is fair to demand he focus more on driving ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, Hamilton replied: “Not really because I wake up thinking about it.

“I go to sleep thinking about it, and I think about it while I am sleeping. If anything I have to focus on being able to unplug more.

“John and I, we speak almost every week. We have a great relationship. I didn’t have a reaction to it (Elkann’s comments). I don’t look into those things.”

Outside of his sprint victory at the second round in China, Hamilton’s switch from Mercedes to Ferrari has failed to live up to its blockbuster billing.

He is 66 points behind Leclerc while Ferrari have slipped to fourth in the constructors’ championship. The Italian team have failed to win a title of any sort in 17 years.

Hamilton, 40, continued: “It has been a really heavy year and the busiest year I have had. We are all climbing up a mountain, and then you arrive at the weekend and slip 10 steps back, you have to get back up and try again.

“I joined this team knowing full well that it takes time to steer a ship in a different direction and this is a huge organisation with so many moving parts and we cannot fix it in a click of a finger. It takes time.

“Of course, it has not been what any of us have wanted with the troubles and results we have had, but we continue to push on, full steam. Our goal is to get to the front and we are not at the front and I take it all incredibly personally.

“But I have reminded myself how resilient I am. I back this team 100 per cent, and I back myself 100 per cent, and I know that when we get things right it is going to be amazing. I cannot wait for that moment and I truly believe that will happen and I am not losing sight of that even with all the difficult days we have had.”