Ralf Schumacher thinks Ferrari privately made a damning Lewis Hamilton decision ‘a long time ago’

Lewis Hamilton has been involved in too many ‘theatrics’ at Ferrari this season, Ralf Schumacher says. The seven-time world champion entered the summer break at one of the lowest ebbs of his Formula 1 career.

Speaking at the Hungarian Grand Prix, a race where he started and finished a desperate P12, Hamilton described himself as ‘useless’ and even suggested that Ferrari should change drivers. This has sparked speculation that he could retire prematurely.

Schumacher says Ferrari aren’t turning a ‘blind eye’ to Hamilton’s comments, even if they’re clearly alarming. As it stands, there doesn’t appear to be a realistic prospect of the 40-year-old leaving before the end of his contract in 2026.

Speaking to Bild, Schumacher suggested Hamilton may be ‘too old’ to adapt to a car that is well-suited to long-serving teammate Charles Leclerc. It’s hard to chart a line of clear progress from his debut in Australia until Hungary.

Ralf Schumacher suspects Ferrari have already made Charles Leclerc their number one

Schumacher was sceptical about Hamilton’s Ferrari move before the season started while many others expressed enormous excitement. It seems his concerns were well-founded.

Despite his underwhelming form, Hamilton is trying to exert significant influence at Ferrari. He’s sent the team documents of feedback suggesting both mechanical alterations and structural changes.

But Schumacher’s theory is that Ferrari have already decided to pin their hopes on Leclerc. The Monegasque has scored all five of the team’s podiums this season.

Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images

Accounting for all the competitive sessions where both drivers have been classified, Leclerc leads the head-to-head 24-8.

“I said before the season that this could go wrong. At the moment, I see a lot of theatrics in him. He has slammed the team, criticised internally, struggled with the car – that doesn’t help anyone.

“The car suits Leclerc, not him. Maybe he’s too old to adapt. Or maybe he just can’t cope. I believe the decision to go with Leclerc was made a long time ago. But I don’t think he’ll throw in the towel during the season.”

Ferrari reject Lewis Hamilton’s attempts to become ‘shadow team principal’

On the evidence of the last five months or so, Leclerc is clearly the superior driver at Ferrari. But Hamilton has the strongest CV of any F1 driver ever.

And there remains a possibility that Hamilton simply doesn’t suit the ground-effect cars. Perhaps, come next year, he’ll look much more like his old self.

Unfortunately, it seems some team members have lost confidence in their superstar signing. It’s difficult to maintain faith when he criticises himself so harshly in the public domain.

Hamilton is trying to become the ‘shadow team principal’ at Ferrari by guiding the team’s direction. If Schumacher is right, though, they will place more emphasis on Leclerc’s feedback instead.