Ferrari chairman John Elkann says the company’s Formula 1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc “need to focus on driving and talk less”.

Elkann’s comments come on the back of a Sao Paulo Grand Prix last weekend in which Ferrari suffered a double retirement and Hamilton described his maiden season with the team as a “nightmare”.

Ferrari dropped to fourth in the constructors’ championship as a result of the race. They are 36 points behind Mercedes and four adrift of Red Bull with three grands prix and a sprint remaining.

Elkann said at an Olympics sponsorship event in Rome on Monday that the team’s mechanics and engineers were performing well, but “if we look at the rest, it is not up to scratch”.

He added: “And we definitely have drivers who need to focus on driving and talk less because we still have important races ahead of us and getting second place is not impossible.

“In Bahrain, we won the World Endurance Championship title. When Ferrari is united, we get results.”

Elkann’s remarks reflect the frustration and disappointment at Ferrari, who came close to becoming constructors’ champions last year but have failed to win a grand prix this season.

But they are said to be meant to be taken in a constructive way as a spur to improve.

McLaren, who beat Ferrari by only 14 points last year, won the title with six races remaining this season.

The constructors’ championship determines the teams’ prize money and each position gained close to the top is worth approximately $10m (£7.6m) over the place below.

Hamilton won the sprint race in China at the second race of the season but is yet to stand on a grand prix podium.

Leclerc, who qualified third in Sao Paulo at the weekend but was taken out of the race in a collision with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, has scored seven podiums, with a best result of second in Monaco and Mexico.