Lewis Hamilton insists it is impossible for him to focus more on driving Ferrari back to the front of the Formula 1 grid. Facing reporters at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the seven-time champion faced a deluge of questions about team chairman John Elkann's public criticism of their drivers. The most stinging swipe saw Elkann demand Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc "focus on driving and talk less".

Hamilton refused to comment directly on the chairman's criticism, insisting he and Elkann "have a great relationship", but when asked if it's possible for him to focus more on driving he replied: "Not really. I wake up thinking about it, I go to sleep thinking about it and I think about it while I'm sleeping. If anything, I have to focus on being able to unplug more.

"I back this team 100 percent and I back myself 100 percent. I know that, when we get things right, it's going to be amazing. 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 after week.

"Naturally, knowing that the team is Ferrari, there's always a huge amount of attention - not always in a positive way, but we're all fully committed to turning this around and I'm fully committed to helping this team rebuild and grow.

"I think there's great harmony within the team, even with all the ups and downs that we've been having. Everyone is just focused on taking the learnings from this year to build on a better future. Our goal is to get to the front and we're not at the front. I take it all incredibly personally. I'm 100 percent invested in this.

"I know every single person in this team, from the back to the front, feels what I feel and we share it together. We turn up every weekend. I'm motivated by seeing everyone that comes to the track each week, still positive. This is the kindest group of people that I've ever worked with. Everyone is so welcoming, so polite, so warm. You can feel that culture within the team and I love it."

Almost 12 months have passed since Hamilton decided to make the blockbuster switch to Ferrari from Mercedes. It was in the Las Vegas paddock last November that rumours suggesting the Brit was considering a change of scenery first began to circulate.

Hamilton's first year in red has been a difficult one but he continues to work at "full steam" to try to make his sophomore season more memorable. He added: "It's crazy to think a year has gone by. It's been an extraordinary experience since the moment I arrived.

"I still pinch myself, honestly, that I'm in red, that I get to drive a Ferrari. I joined this team knowing full well that it takes time to steer a ship in a different direction.

"This is a huge team, it's a huge organisation. There are so many moving parts and we can't fix it in a click of a finger - it takes real time. Of course, it's not been what any of us have wanted in terms of a season, with the troubles that we've had and the results that we've had. But we just continue to push on, full steam."