“No blame, only accountability”: Hamilton stands firm amid Ferrari tensions

Written by Kavi Khandelwal

Lewis Hamilton placed a firm emphasis on the team's commitment and rejected the notion of a "blame culture" at Ferrari, even as he addressed the fallout from recent, critical comments made by Chairman John Elkann following the double retirement in Brazil.

Credit: Formula One

Confronting the Chairman's criticism

Hamilton's response was prompted by Elkann's public statements, which singled out the drivers for not performing up to the standard of other departments. Elkann's core message included the clear directive: “We certainly have drivers for whom it's important to focus on driving and talk less, because we still have important races ahead of us.”

Responding to the attention surrounding this rebuke, Hamilton insisted that the team's focus remains solely on improvement and that his relationship with the Chairman is strong.

"We've just been focused on doing our job back at the factory so everyone's super focused on improving," Hamilton stated. He highlighted his personal connection with the Chairman: "I mean I speak to John every week so we have an amazing relationship and the passion has not disappeared from our team."

He acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead: "We've obviously got a steep hill to climb but we want to finish our strong this year."

Defending the team culture: No blame, only accountability

When asked whether Elkann's remarks hinted at a "blame culture" at the Scuderia, Hamilton strongly dismissed the idea, instead arguing for collective responsibility.

"I mean I don't feel like there's a blame culture here," he insisted. "I think you know—look, we're all in the same boat, ultimately we all have to take accountability and responsibility, absolutely all of us and every single one of us have to play our part."

He used the opportunity to reinforce his dedication to the project and his teammates: "I firmly believe in the decision I made to come here, I back my team 100% and I back myself still 100% and whilst I know it hasn't been a good year for us, there have been so many learnings."

Credit: Formula One

Resilience through a challenging year

Hamilton admitted the season—which he previously called a "nightmare"—has been incredibly demanding, but he highlighted the lessons learned as the true takeaway.

"It has been the most challenging year and it's definitely not a year that I—no one would ever dream of, especially in your first year at the Scuderia Ferrari," he said.

He views every obstacle as a chance to grow. "I just really see that every challenge that we have is an opportunity to learn and grow... I really feel like we're going to take the learnings from this year to build and grow on to something better in the future."

Hamilton concluded by celebrating his personal fortitude and dedication to the team's success: "I'm standing here stronger than I feel like I've ever been and just dead set on trying to finish off strong in these last few races... I'm committed to helping them rebuild and grow towards back to their winning ways."