Ralf Schumacher thinks Charles Leclerc radio messages keep going ‘too far’ with Ferrari staff upset

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The Las Vegas Grand Prix is going to give Formula 1 fans the first insight into how Ferrari have responded to chairman John Elkann’s most recent comments.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were the subject of criticism from John Elkann following a disappointing weekend at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Elkann told the pair to concentrate on driving, rather than making public comments about the team, with Hamilton’s headline quote coming out of Brazil suggesting that his first season with Ferrari had been a ‘nightmare’.

This ignored the largely positive statement Hamilton made after his DNF, although Ralf Schumacher wondered if Elkann’s comments related to Leclerc’s Ferrari future.

Leclerc’s management have reportedly been in contact with Aston Martin, which would blow the driver market wide open in 2026.

Ralf Schumacher and journalist Peter Hardenacke have now been talking about the Monegasque driver’s conduct across 2025.

They believe that some Ferrari insiders are upset by his team radio messages, and Schumacher agreed that they might not be conducive to the team succeeding.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Ralf Schumacher thinks Charles Leclerc is going ‘too far’ with Ferrari radio messages

Hardenacke was speaking to Schumacher on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast, and he said: “The engineers and mechanics had really taken a protective stance, saying that it wasn’t their fault, but the team boss didn’t really fit into that context, did he?

“I think there’s a lack of support there, and with Leclerc, I found it quite interesting.

“I spoke to someone who is also familiar with the issue, and he said that what is striking with Leclerc is, of course, this dissatisfaction here and there, which he then expresses over the radio, right?

“Whether it’s strategic errors or the wrong setup, it’s still ringing in your ears.

“That’s also an issue where you say, yes, it could be a disruptive factor, it could also be something for Elkann, you could say, hey, look, it’s good for us to hear that, no question about it.

“I’m glad when there’s a certain openness and transparency, but would that also be something you’d take away to discuss behind closed doors?”

Schumacher replied: “We’ve already discussed this topic a few times with Ferrari, with Lewis, not just with the two of them, that it sometimes comes across as very aggressive, and I would say that the driving is based on emotion.

“The driver says, ‘Why are they giving me a fine now, or what’s all this nonsense?’

“We’ve also had the issue of swear words and so on before. I think that, within certain limits, drivers should be allowed to use them.

“But in my opinion, this is going too far, so they shouldn’t have been allowed to do that.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Charles Leclerc has every right to be upset with Ferrari after 2025 struggles

Throughout the 2025 season, Leclerc has put himself in seemingly promising positions during a race weekend, only to be thwarted by an issue.

These problems almost always relate to Ferrari, as either the strategy or the car tends to let both drivers down.

The most obvious example of this was at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Leclerc was furious with Ferrari at the Hungaroring, as he watched a potential victory slip away after his final pit stop, and he eventually finished fourth.

The Singapore Grand Prix was another frustrating race for the Monegasque driver as he could only finish sixth, and Leclerc’s frustrations were clear on the team radio.

It will be interesting to see if there’s a change in Leclerc’s and Hamilton’s behaviour in Las Vegas, but unless the team are competing for podiums and wins, then it’s hard to see their mindset changing.