Ralf Schumacher takes aim at Ferrari after Lewis Hamilton Hungarian GP disappointment
Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher has delivered a scathing assessment of Ferrari’s performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix, taking aim at the Maranello outfit’s strategy.
The weekend at the Hungaroring proved frustrating for Ferrari. After showing strong pace in free practice, Hamilton initially qualified second, narrowly missing out on pole position to McLaren’s Lando Norris.
But a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri resulted in a drop to fifth place on the starting grid. Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc was promoted to P2 as a result.
While Hamilton hoped he could turn things around during the grand prix, his race featured further challenges.
In the late stages of the race, the seven-time champion was fighting with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli for third. He was called into the pits under the virtual safety car and came out in third, only to give the position back to avoid a penalty because Antonelli was just ahead as Hamilton exited the pitlane.
The 41-year-old was then hit with a five-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane after the stewards found he was 0.1km/h over the limit.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Speaking on the Sky Sports Germany post-race debrief, Schumacher did not hold back when asked to evaluate Ferrari’s weekend at the Hungaroring.
“Well, it’s actually a major disappointment, because on Friday they were half a second faster than the rest of the world, and they somehow failed to maintain that or build on it,” the former driver said.
“Everyone else passed them left and right. On top of that, once again—without a crystal ball, with a crystal ball, whatever Fred Vasseur said—they brought Lewis in at the wrong time, losing position on track again.
“A bit of a shame, but I think you’ll be reading about that tomorrow in Italy.”
Hamilton crossed the line in fourth but was classified fifth after the penalty was applied.
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