Lewis Hamilton issues clarification over 'response' to Ferrari chairman criticism

Lewis Hamilton has denied that his social media post after the São Paulo Grand Prix was a reaction to critical comments made by Ferrari chairman John Elkann.

Ferrari endured a difficult race in Brazil which saw both Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc fail to reach the chequered flag.

Shortly after the race, Elkann declared its drivers needed to “talk less” and focus on driving amid a challenging campaign for the Italian squad.

Within a couple of hours of each other, both Hamilton and Leclerc shared posts on social media after Elkann made his comment.

Hamilton has denied that his post, which declared that he “will not give up ” and that he “backs his team” was a direct response to Elkann.

“John and I, we speak almost every week,” Hamilton told media including RacingNews365. “We have a great relationship, I didn't have a reaction to it.

“I don't really look into those things too much.

“It [the social media post] wasn't a reaction. I hadn't even seen it, I posted it, and I was flying.

“It’s not then [until] I got home and I heard about it, so it wasn't a reaction to it all. That was from the weekend.”

Ferrari has not yet won a grand prix this year, while Hamilton is still awaiting his first podium finish for the Maranello-based squad.

It has now slipped to fourth place in the constructors' championship with three rounds remaining.

Despite the challenging maiden campaign with his new team, Hamilton asserted his faith in the Ferrari project has not taken a hit.

“We all need to take responsibility in this team, and we all need to play our part,” he said.

“There's so much passion from every single member of this team.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the extraordinary effort every single person back at the factory continues to put in week-on-week.

“Naturally, knowing that the team is Ferrari, there's always a huge amount of attention and not always in a positive way.

“But we're all fully committed to turn this around, and I'm fully committed to helping this team rebuild and grow.

“Every challenge is an opportunity for us to grow and learn, and I firmly believe that we will get to where we want to be.”