Schumacher blames Hamilton for Ferrari friction: 'He is the one causing it'

Ralf Schumacher has pinned Ferrari's escalating intra-team friction squarely on Lewis Hamilton, arguing the seven-time world champion is "simply not fast enough" alongside Charles Leclerc. The German also questioned whether either Ferrari driver still belongs in a title fight.

Why it matters:

Hamilton arrived at Maranello expecting to establish himself as the team's reference point. Instead, Leclerc has finished ahead in eight of the last 12 races, and the pair's scrap in Mexico cost Ferrari a realistic shot at victory. Hamilton then voiced frustration over the absence of clear rules of engagement, prompting internal discussions before Brazil.

The details:

• "The problem is that he is simply not fast enough compared to Leclerc," Schumacher told Sky Sports Germany. "If he were clearly better than his team-mate, like my brother was back then, this discussion wouldn't even exist. He is the one causing it."
• His proposed remedy is blunt: "Always make sure you're ahead. Be half a second faster than Leclerc. Win every race or at least finish ahead of him. It's that simple."
• Hamilton still sits fourth in the standings on 261 points, one clear of his former Mercedes team-mate George Russell and 12 ahead of Leclerc on 249 — a cushion built on weekends where the Monegasque's pace went unrewarded.
• Schumacher widened the attack, tracing a comparison chain from Hamilton to Russell to Kimi Antonelli and asking whether Ferrari's current pairing are "both still world championship material."

What's next:

Interlagos hands Hamilton an immediate chance to answer on track rather than in briefing rooms. Another weekend behind Leclerc will only harden the narrative that Ferrari's hierarchy — and Hamilton's standing among the elite — is shifting.