Ralf Schumacher Criticizes the Disqualifications of Hamilton and Leclerc'”Incompetence” After…read more
Ralf Schumacher has sharply criticized Ferrari following the disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc from the Chinese Grand Prix. Both drivers were excluded from the results due to technical infractions—Leclerc’s car was found to be underweight, while Hamilton’s skid block was 0.5mm below the required limit. Schumacher believes that Ferrari’s mistakes were avoidable and that the team’s performance was marred by clear misjudgments.
During the race weekend, both Ferrari drivers faced challenges, but had initially finished in fifth and sixth places, respectively, in the Grand Prix. These results were seen as improvements compared to their performance in Australia. However, the disqualification after the race left the team without any points. Ferrari explained that Leclerc’s car was underweight by 1kg due to high tire wear from his one-stop strategy, which had caused him to lose more weight than expected during the race. For Hamilton, the team admitted they misjudged the wear on his skid block, a minor but critical error that led to his disqualification.
Despite Ferrari’s explanations, Schumacher did not hold back his criticism. He argued that the team’s mistakes reflected a serious lack of competence. In particular, he focused on Leclerc’s situation, noting that his car lost weight when the driver damaged his front wing endplate during a minor collision with Hamilton on the opening lap of the race. Although Schumacher acknowledged that the damage could be debated, he pointed out that even with the loss of the wing part, it should not have been enough to push the car underweight by 1kg. “You should have factored in at least 1.5kg as a precaution,” Schumacher said, calling Ferrari’s oversight an example of incompetence.
Schumacher further directed his criticism at Hamilton’s side of the garage, where he felt that the engineers should have anticipated wear on the car’s underbody following the 19-lap Sprint race. The wear was already visible during the Sprint, yet the team did not make the necessary adjustments for the Grand Prix. Schumacher emphasized that after the Sprint, Ferrari engineers should have been well aware of the issues and prepared for them in the main event. “After the Sprint, you can assume that the engineer should know what he’s doing,” he remarked, adding that the wear on the underbody should have been clearly addressed.
The former F1 driver and pundit insisted that Ferrari should have been more prepared for the race weekend, especially after a strong showing on Saturday. Despite their strong performance in the Sprint, where Hamilton celebrated his first victory with Ferrari, Sunday’s race was a different story. The team’s lack of foresight and their disqualification highlighted a deeper problem with their operations. “Saturday was so good, today we were slow and now we’ve been disqualified. Of course that’s not on,” said Schumacher, expressing his frustration with the team’s inconsistency and mistakes.
Schumacher stressed that Ferrari must learn from these mistakes and address their internal issues before they continue to undermine their potential. “No stone should be left unturned,” he urged, encouraging the Scuderia to fix the root causes of their performance flaws. He suggested that the team could only move forward if they took a hard look at their operations, acknowledged their errors, and ensured that such issues did not occur again.
The disqualifications were a huge blow to Ferrari, especially after the high hopes following Hamilton’s victory in the Sprint. Despite showing strong pace earlier in the weekend, the team’s failure to properly manage their car setups during the race highlighted the importance of attention to detail in Formula 1. With the team already under pressure to perform better after a difficult season start, these technical errors have raised concerns about their ability to compete at the highest level.
In conclusion, Schumacher’s comments reflect widespread disappointment with Ferrari’s technical blunders during the Chinese Grand Prix. While the team has promised to learn from the experience and avoid repeating the mistakes, the disqualifications have underscored the need for Ferrari to resolve their operational issues swiftly. For now, the team is left to regroup and focus on making improvements to avoid further setbacks in the highly competitive world of Formula 1.
