From ‘family’ to feuding: Ferrari F1 given grim warning after latest Hamilton-Leclerc drama

Ferrari

From ‘family’ to feuding: Ferrari given grim warning after latest Hamilton-Leclerc drama

Ralf Schumacher has his say

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Friday 11 September 2026 09:43 Updated: 10:36

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Ferrari were a 'family' but are losing what once made them great, former F1 star Ralf Schumacher has warned after the latest drama between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

The two Ferrari stars are in the headlines for all the wrong reasons after leaving the Italian Grand Prix, where Ferrari were once again made to look foolish for not implementing any sort of team orders.

Leclerc and Hamilton lined up in third and fourth for lights out in Monza, but battled hard from the get-go, with Hamilton throwing his car down the inside into the chicane at turn one as he looked to make an early overtake, with the two cars even making gentle contact.

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Hamilton being on the inside heading into turn one meant he was on the outside for turn two, and as the two Ferraris tried to get through the final part of the chicane, the seven-time world champion was left with no room and forced onto the gravel and kerb, causing him to lose multiple places.

Hamilton wasn't happy with this, firmly putting all of the blame on his team-mate: "Charles pushed me off!"

Post-race, his comments were even more damning: "We've got to change things, because this is not helping us to move forward."

Ralf Schumacher's Ferrari assessment after Monza drama

Hamilton also pointed the finger at Fred Vasseur, asserting that 'ultimately, it comes from the top' and that decisions trickle down from the Ferrari team principal.

After those comments and what went down, Schumacher is unsure what the future holds for Vasseur.

"I'm not so sure what this means for Fred Vasseur now," Schumacher explained, via Sky Sports Deutschland.

"Something like this in Italy, the Ferrari boss was also here. That was a kind of embarrassment that no one likes to see."

Schumacher: Ferrari lack unity that once made them great

Schumacher went on to deliver a grim warning to Ferrari, reflecting on his brother Michael's hugely successful period with the team in the late 90s and early-to-mid 2000s.

During that period, Michael Schumacher was well and truly top dog at Ferrari, with his team-mates often made to sacrifice their own success for the greater good. The greater good being Michael's championship, of course.

"For us, it's entertaining, but I think the biggest problem Ferrari currently has is the lack of unity," Schumacher continued. "If you look at Lewis' interviews in particular, the way the drivers interact on the track and with the team off the track, then it's no wonder there's no unity.

"They're fighting each other, they're yelling at each other on the radio, and then there's finger-pointing after the race."

"I now see the reason why it worked back then (during the Michael Schumacher era) and why it doesn't work today," Schumacher added.

"When things were difficult for my brother, when he was building the team with Ross Brawn and Jean Todt, the days weren't easy either. But there were never any such accusations, and if there was anything to be clarified, it remained internal.

"Back then, Michael knew every single team member by their first name – it was a family."

All eyes on Madrid

At Monza, Hamilton and Leclerc never met again on the track, with Leclerc going on to crash out early on lap two, bringing an end to his race and sparing Ferrari and its top brass from any further blushes at their home race.

However, in F1, things move quickly, and it's now off to the Madring for the Spanish Grand Prix with the Italian Grand Prix debacle still fresh on everybody's minds.

It will certainly be interesting to see how things play out if the two Ferrari stars are in close quarters on the track this time around, and exactly what Ferrari has told them about how to go racing after an embarrassing showing last Sunday.

Hamilton's already slim championship hopes are now dwindling at a rapid rate, but will Ferrari make the call to back him as their number one? Only time will tell.

Written by

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson - F1 Editor

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