Damon Hill has argued John Elkann's controversial comments about Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc could be "demoralising" to the drivers and risks "undermining" them.
Following a disastrous grand prix in São Paulo, the Ferrari chairman delivered his blunt appraisal of the situation, praising the mechanics and engineers at Maranello, but chastising the two drivers, calling on them to "talk less" and focus on racing the SF-25 in an overarching plea for unity.
This came in apparent retort to Hamilton claiming he was enduring a "nightmare" at the Scuderia, and Leclerc voicing his frustration at the Italian team's disappointing campaign, which is whimpering towards fourth in the F1 constructors' championship without a single grand prix victory all year.
The backlash to Elkann was prompt and decisive, with him widely judged to have overstepped the mark in the rare public comments.
Whilst his ultimate motivation remains unclear, it triggered Hamilton and Leclerc into near-instant responses, with both taking to social media to share messages of unity.
"I saw the interview. I was a bit surprised at what I heard, and I think a lot of people were," Hill said to British newspaper The Mirror.
"I didn't notice [the drivers] saying anything outrageous; maybe I missed a few quotes somewhere.
"I don't know what's happened. They're going to be critical. They're part of the team, but drivers are sort of the end-user of the product. They're not likely to say that everything's wonderful when it clearly isn't.
"It's a Formula 1 organisation and so there are a lot of moving parts in there. [Ferrari] have not really covered themselves in glory. They've had too many ups and downs this year."
"It can be quite... I don't know what the right word for it is. It's not humiliating, but it can be demoralising a little bit. I'm sure he must have said that to them in private, but when you say something in public, then it can be undermining."
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Nonetheless, Hill was quick to highlight that Elkann is perfectly within his rights to voice his opinion and that neither Hamilton nor Leclerc is bigger than Ferrari.
The 1996 F1 drivers' champion added: "But, ultimately, the Ferrari boss pays them and they're there to do a job, so that is always the relationship.
"You're supposed to be working for the team. If they've been saying the wrong things, you're going to get some kickback every now and then.
"It does highlight the fact that the driver is someone who's passing through and the team stays, particularly a team like Ferrari, is there forever. Or a long time, anyway."
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