Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher has had his say on the recent intra-team contention between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
The Ferrari drivers went toe-to-toe in the opening lap of the Mexico City Grand Prix two weeks ago, with Leclerc wrestling the lead off Hamilton, who had started on pole position.
Left audibly angry both in and out of the car, Hamilton made a flurry of claims about Leclerc’s mentality and unwillingness to play a team game.
And with Team Principal Fred Vasseur also publicly irked by the incident, the two drivers held talks at the following week in Sao Paulo.
The contention appears to now be behind Hamilton and Leclerc, the seven-time World Champion claiming he and the Monegasque had “squashed” the matter.
But it hasn’t prevented more opinions being aired on the periphery, and former Jordan and Williams driver Schumacher, speaking on Sky Sports Germany, made his very clear.
“The problem is that he [Hamilton] is simply not fast enough compared to Leclerc,” he said.
“If he were clearly better than his teammate, like my brother [Michael] was back then, this discussion wouldn’t even exist – he is the one causing it.
“[Hamilton must] always make sure he’s ahead, and be a second or half a second faster than Leclerc. Win every race or at least finish ahead of him – it’s that simple [for him].”
Schumacher continued: “What I have a problem with is the drama that followed,” he said.
“You don’t demand a penalty for your teammate over the radio, then to speak like Al Capone and threaten that ‘we have big, big problems’—from my point of view, the dog is walking the owner.”
With just three rounds to go, Hamilton and Leclerc must work together to try and stifle any chances of Red Bull and McLaren taking second place off the Scuderia in the Constructors’ Championship.
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