Villeneuve: Elkann’s comments were shocking

Son of Ferrari legend, the late Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques said the Italian marque's chairman’s remarks came from “left field” and echoed the same patterns that derailed relationships with Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.

Villeneuve said: “We shouldn't be surprised because remember how it ended up with Prost, with Mansell, with Alonso, with Vettel. It seems to be a trend at Ferrari. Ferrari comes first, and Ferrari will always protect Ferrari. I didn't see comments that were detrimental to the team coming from the drivers. So, it's the chairman who's done this, but this came just after winning the WEC. I guess he was pinpointing how amazing the team in WEC did compared to F1, but it's a different ball game.”

He added that Brazil was “just a bad weekend” and the timing of Elkann’s intervention made it feel more like frustration than strategy. Villeneuve said: “It was a bit shocking, but it seems to be the Ferrari way. Most drivers have broken their teeth there, most drivers with personality. It’s a strange environment.”

Villeneuve warned the team to be very careful with the tone of public communication, insisting that when both sides start speaking through the media “it gets dirty” and can quickly escalate into a crisis.

Villeneuve said: “A driver is not an employee, he’s an independent. You take drivers who can think, who can help move the team forward. They are not little robots. The emotions of winning in WEC and then a bad weekend in Brazil mixed together and created a big reaction. But I don’t see how those comments can be helpful. They’ve always seemed united with their team.”

He said the energy around Ferrari was “not great” after another year without a championship. Villeneuve warned: “The problem is that when it gets out into the media, it gets dirty and then it gets bigger than it is. It can get out of control mostly with the fans and the media.

"We really have to be careful with that because it’s a slippery road. Hopefully that’s where it will stop because we’ve seen what happened with Prost, Mansell, almost every driver with a personality. It would be a shame if it went that way again.”

Villeneuve said Ferrari remains the natural home for Charles Leclerc but warned that the Monegasque still needs to show he can be a champion.

Villeneuve said: “Ferrari is Charles Leclerc’s home. He was groomed by Ferrari. But he still needs to prove he can win a championship. He has proven he is quick. Maybe he didn’t have the tool to do it, who knows, but in the minds of other teams there will still be question marks. As the years go by it gets more difficult because teams already picked their future drivers.”

On Hamilton, Villeneuve said: “Ferrari was his retirement move. So, it has to turn into something good. He was used to the same environment for so long that jumping into an opposite type of environment is complicated. There needs to be adjustment from both parties. The team should look at what was done well elsewhere and vice versa. You cannot be stuck in your way of working if it’s proven not to be working.”

Villeneuve expects the 2026 regulations to reset the order and emphasised the value of having two strong drivers aligned with the same development direction: “In 2026 everyone starts from zero. Nobody knows who will have the car or the engine. The changes are massive. It’s engine and car together. It’s a big change. A team will benefit from having two drivers who push in the same direction.”

He compared Hamilton’s motivation to Fernando Alonso’s, saying: “All Hamilton needs is a carrot to win another championship, like Alonso. The racer is still there. And the carrot for Alonso is what? Adrian Newey? It looks like it.”

Villeneuve believes Ollie Bearman has shown he can handle the pressure and will have a chance at Ferrari when a seat opens: “Can Ollie Bearman drive for Ferrari in the future? Definitely, because Bearman has shown speed. When he jumped in the Ferrari last year it was surprising. Really good race craft and good spatial awareness.

"This year started good, then there was a dip, but there has been a big bounce back. He’s been outperforming his car and his team mate. He doesn’t seem to care too much about pressure. “He’s part of the Ferrari family. He knows they won’t be racing for five years like that. He knows there’s a seat that will become available at some point, whether it’s Leclerc or Lewis," added the 1997 F1 World Champion.

Ferrari's 2025 F1 season has been a stark downturn from 2024's promise, with the SF-25 car plagued by instability and underperformance. Lewis Hamilton's debut yielded a China Sprint win but no Grand Prix podiums, while Charles Leclerc notched sporadic top-5s amid strategy woes. By the São Paulo GP (Round 21), Ferrari languished fourth in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull.

Interlagos epitomised the nightmare: Leclerc retired early after a Piastri-Antonelli clash damaged his car; Hamilton collided with Sainz, earned a penalty, and DNF'd with floor damage. Their third pointless weekend widened the gap to second-placed Mercedes, dashing faint hopes with three races left.