Ralf Schumacher warns Lewis Hamilton he’ll start annoying Ferrari fans if he keeps doing one thing

Follow us on Google Discover

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has sent a warning to Lewis Hamilton about his relationship with Ferrari’s passionate fans.

Lewis Hamilton got to witness the support of Ferrari’s fans, known as the Tifosi, for the first time at the Italian Grand Prix.

Hamilton previously received the ‘biggest boos’ from Ferrari fans at Monza when he was racing for Mercedes and dominating Formula 1.

However, after 18 visits as a McLaren or Mercedes driver, Hamilton finally got to experience the overwhelming support of Ferrari’s fans at their home race last weekend.

Unfortunately, both he and his teammate Charles Leclerc couldn’t find their way onto one of the most iconic podiums on the calendar, finishing fourth and sixth.

It leaves Ferrari clinging onto second in the constructors’ championship with eight race weekends to go, but Ralf Schumacher believes that Hamilton needs to avoid making any more mistakes; otherwise, he’ll start to ‘annoy’ Ferrari fans.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Ralf Schumacher tells Lewis Hamilton to cut out mistakes to keep Ferrari’s fans onside

Schumacher was asked about Hamilton’s recent performances on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast.

The seven-time world champion did a good job recovering from P10 to sixth at Monza, but the mistakes that led to his grid penalty immediately hampered his efforts.

The German former F1 driver explained: “What I wanted to say is that Hamilton still has to be careful, because the speed wasn’t that bad this weekend, you could say.

“The race track isn’t that challenging this weekend, but those mistakes at Zandvoort, two spins and then a penalty at the yellow flag before the start, P + 5, I have to be honest, he needs to be a bit more professional.

“With his experience, that really shouldn’t happen to him, and he really has to be careful with things like that so that the fans continue to support him, because that could also annoy the Tifosi.”

Schumacher then said that Leclerc is ‘clearly the number one in the team, no question about it,’ and went on to state: “Nevertheless, when everything goes right for Lewis Hamilton, he’s fast.

“But, I’d say spinning twice in Zandvoort, then crashing his car into the wall and then that too, well, there was a bit too much going on that weekend, where you’d actually expect a bit more concentration from someone so experienced.”

READ MORE: Where is every driver from Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 podium finish?

Ralf Schumacher asked to predict which F1 driver will come out on top in 2026

Schumacher was then asked to give a prediction for next season, and whether he thinks Hamilton could get the better of Leclerc at Ferrari when F1’s regulations change.

He explained: “That depends a little bit on the driving style required for the new car.

“I don’t want to make any predictions about how well Leclerc or all the drivers will be able to adapt, because when I look at their ages, I don’t see any problem.

“Alonso, in that respect, yes, if he can pull it off and doesn’t have any more bad races at the end of the year, then of course, he has a good chance.”

Gabriel Bortoleto admitted he’s seen signs of progress from Hamilton in recent races, although many people wouldn’t have gone into this season expecting the Sauber rookie to be anywhere near the seven-time world champion.

As Schumacher suggests, it’s impossible to predict what will happen in 2026 yet, with no knowledge of which cars are competitive.

The power of Ferrari’s 2026 power unit is still unknown, and that’s set to play a crucial role in deciding the pecking order on the grid.

Whatever Ferrari’s next car is like, Hamilton will know it’s impossible to win a title without beating his teammate, and Leclerc is proving to be an extremely formidable force.