Former F1 driver calls on Ferrari to discipline Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has told Ferrari to give its drivers a “rap on the knuckles” following the Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari endured a difficult qualifying session on Saturday and was forced to line up towards the rear of the top 10 for the race.

A difficult grand prix followed as Hamilton in particular struggled to make progress while a handful of his radio messages were played out on the live broadcast, as was a humorous exchange between Leclerc and his engineer.

Hamilton has asserted there is no tension with his new race engineer Riccardo Adami and pointed to more extreme examples elsewhere on the grid.

Schumacher, however, has stated Ferrari must nip the situation in the bud early on.

“It was like that with both of them,” he told the Sky Sports Deutschland F1 podcast. “Not only Hamilton but also Charles Leclerc was relatively stroppy on the radio.

“If I were the team principal right now, I’d call them both into my office and give them both a rap on the knuckles because that’s not on.

“At the end of the day, the whole team is sitting out there doing nothing but trying to help the two out there.

“And if they’re also being stroppy, then I have to say that’s not on. You can say, please, right now is [a] bad [time to talk to me on the radio].”

'Hamilton struggling to understand why he is not making the difference'

Hamilton endured a difficult past three seasons at Mercedes before his switch to Ferrari but managed to secure two victories in his final year with the team, including at his home event at Silverstone.

Schumacher theorised Hamilton is struggling to understand why he is unable to make the difference in a tight scenario.

“That's why he was so relieved at Silverstone [in 2024],” he said. 

“I keep thinking of the example where he had tears in his eyes because he won. 

“He is struggling with himself and I also think he does not understand why he is not making a difference now, why he is not significantly faster than his team-mate. 

“He is angry with himself and fought to stay on the track. Lewis just didn't have enough space to talk to his engineer. 

“That's not only rude, it's not a good sign. I can remember, I always could. My brother always did it, too. Max Verstappen can always do it.

“Even Lando Norris always does it. A seven-time world champion should have more potential.”