Jacques Villeneuve has expressed concern about the future of Ferrari after team chairman John Elkann’s public criticism of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, calling it shocking. The son of the legendary Gilles Villeneuve stressed that the move risks significant destabilization and division, repeating the patterns that derailed the Scuderia’s relationships with star drivers such as Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.
The Canadian former Formula 1 driver stressed that Elkann’s statements came out “out of place and time”, especially after the weekend’s failure in Brazil, where Ferrari experienced a double retirement. “I didn’t see any comments that were harmful to the team coming from the drivers. It’s the president who did this,” the Canadian said. He argued that the timing of the intervention was unfortunate and stemmed more from frustration than strategic thinking.
The 1997 world champion warned Ferrari to be extremely careful with public communication, stressing that when tension spills over into the media, “it gets dirty” and can escalate quickly. “A driver is not an employee, he is independent. They are not little robots,” he said. Villeneuve also said that Ferrari’s tendency to clash with drivers with personalities is a “slippery road” and it would be “a shame if it happened again.”
Referring to the drivers, Villeneuve described Ferrari as “Charles Leclerc’s home,” although he stressed that the Monegasque has yet to prove he can win a championship. For Hamilton, Villeneuve said Ferrari was his “retirement drive” and that he needs to adapt “on both sides”, as the jump into such a contrasting environment is complicated.
