Ralf Schumacher has criticised Lewis Hamilton, saying the seven-time world champion is the 'cause' of internal division at Ferrari because he has not proven he is faster than team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The German, brother of Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher, said Hamilton, 41, has no right to expect the team to treat him as their number one driver. Hamilton, the all-time record holder for wins, podiums and pole positions, would not accept being a sidekick, but Leclerc, 29, is in his eighth season with Ferrari and signed a new long-term deal earlier this year.
Hamilton's performance questioned
Ralf Schumacher said Hamilton has done nowhere near enough in a red car to prove he should get priority over Leclerc. He said: "The problem is that he is simply not fast enough compared to Leclerc. 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."
Hamilton is ahead of Leclerc in the drivers' standings, but only by 12 points. They have one grand prix win each this season, and there is little to split them in head-to-head finishes. Leclerc has out-qualified Hamilton 11 times out of 20, though they are tied at 10-10 for Sunday finishes as the lead Ferrari. Leclerc has finished ahead of his team-mate in eight of the last 12 races. They cannot be split on sprint results either, with scores at 3-3 for both qualifying position and race results.
Priority demands dismissed
Hamilton asked for priority over Leclerc earlier this season, when he was still in contention for the drivers' title. Ralf Schumacher feels the Brit has no right to make such demands until he has removed all doubt about who is Ferrari's best driver. He added: "[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."
The row over priority comes after Ferrari threw away a win in Mexico City earlier this month by squabbling for the lead on the opening lap. Hamilton started on pole, but Leclerc was level with him by turn one and eventually took the lead by going off track. Max Verstappen slipped past Hamilton in the melee and benefitted when Leclerc was given a penalty, which gifted the win to the Dutchman.
Talks held in Brazil
Hamilton demanded 'serious talks' with his team-mate, which took place in Brazil last weekend, after which both drivers said their differences had been resolved. Leclerc admitted there is still tension between them. "Of course there is," he said. "We want to finish ahead of each other and sometimes we are not going to do things right. It's okay sometimes to disagree on the way you see things."
