Ralf Schumacher accuses Lewis Hamilton of acting like “Al Capone” amid Mexico City GP drama
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Lewis Hamilton’s furious radio messages during the Mexico City Grand Prix have drawn severe criticism from former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher.
While the clash between the Ferrari team-mates at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was deemed acceptable hard racing, the ensuing political theatre over the airwaves crossed a major line for the German pundit.
Hamilton and Charles Leclerc went to war through the opening sequence of corners, ultimately forcing both scarlet cars completely off the asphalt at Turn 4. Rather than yielding, the Monegasque driver kept his foot planted across the grass to defend his track position, earning a five-second time penalty from the FIA in the process.
Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, Schumacher brushed off the physical altercation as standard procedure.
"Lewis Hamilton has accepted that if Charles Leclerc doesn’t drive across the meadow, a crash will occur," the 51-year-old explained, noting the squeeze was entirely intentional. "But I have no problem with that, because it’s a racing situation where everyone doesn’t want to give up their position."
Hamilton’s "Al Capone" radio threat
What infuriated the six-time Grand Prix winner was the immediate aftermath. Furious over the Turn 4 squeeze, the British star immediately jumped on the radio to demand race control penalise his own garage mate.
When the pitwall attempted to manage the situation, the veteran driver escalated the tension, delivering a thinly veiled warning to the Maranello brass.
"What I have a problem with is the drama that followed," Schumacher fired back. "You don’t demand a penalty for your team-mate over the radio."
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
The Sky Sports analyst was particularly appalled by the tone of the complaints, accusing the 41-year-old of completely disrespecting the team’s authority.
"Then to speak like Al Capone and threaten that ‘we have big, big problems’—from my point of view, the dog is walking the owner," Schumacher slammed.
A leadership crisis at Maranello?
The brutal "dog is walking the owner" comment highlights a growing power struggle within the Italian garage. With the superstar driver actively dictating terms and publicly threatening the pitwall during a live broadcast, Schumacher believes team principal Fred Vasseur is rapidly losing control of his blockbuster line-up.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
As the intra-team rivalry threatens to potentially affect the squad’s momentum heading into Brazil, the former F1 driver demanded immediate intervention from the executives to re-establish a clear hierarchy.
"Something urgently needs to be changed now," he warned.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.