Ralf Schumacher thinks Lewis Hamilton still has to answer one question after ‘solid’ start at Ferrari, ‘some tension…’

Lewis Hamilton has had plenty to prove during his first two race weekends as a Ferrari Formula 1 driver.

There were questions raised over whether Ferrari were making the right decision signing a 40-year-old Lewis Hamilton to replace Carlos Sainz, especially after the Spaniard had arguably his best season in F1 before heading off to Williams.

Eddie Jordan believed Ferrari should rip up Hamilton’s contract based on how he ended last season, as he struggled with his performances in qualifying and finished behind George Russell in the drivers’ championship.

However, Jordan changed his mind on Hamilton’s Ferrari move as soon as he saw him in the team’s iconic red overalls and so far, the 40-year-old has done a fine job without pulling up too many trees.

Hamilton struggled at the Australian Grand Prix, but wasn’t helped by a poor strategy call that cost him several positions.

He then won the Sprint Race after putting the SF-25 on pole position, before being disqualified alongside teammate Charles Leclerc after the Grand Prix.

Ralf Schumacher was dissecting his performances for the Scuderia, and while he’s been impressed with his start, he still thinks Hamilton has questions to answer before he can consider his move a success.

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Lewis Hamilton’s consistency still being questioned by Ralf Schumacher at Ferrari

Schumacher was speaking on the Formel1.de YouTube channel about Hamilton’s first two race weekends as a Ferrari driver and explained: “What did not surprise me is that he really got on really well with the car in the first practice session, and that was always such an issue for him.

“He brakes like that and couldn’t turn in and then he says, man, I drove here, first lap, and of course it worked straight away, and the track suits me.

“This means that everything came together, which makes me happy because it proves that he still has the speed because that’s always a bit of a question as you get older.

“So, he has the speed now, it’s just a question of can he keep it up, that’s what I meant from the start.

That winning feeling 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NPHnGVjqp5

— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 22, 2025

“When you don’t know the team that well, you’re new, until you get the hang of it, until your engineer understands you, it takes a few months, and I think you saw that on Sunday.

“Of course, it wasn’t in free air, which makes a big difference in China, and his teammate passed him with the broken wing because I have to say for the aerodynamicists, put six broken front wings in, they will work just as well or better than a whole one.

“So, it’s a bit of a hard one to understand, but I think he did a good, solid job, and I think Charles Leclerc also woke up. I think that annoyed him, and there was some tension. Hamilton wasn’t used to being told to drive fast on the teammate’s side.”

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Lewis Hamilton set to receive new Ferrari part for the Bahrain Grand Prix

Hamilton and Leclerc have slightly different car set-ups right now, with the seven-time world champion using a new steering wheel configuration that resembles what he had at Mercedes.

While Leclerc’s disqualification in Shanghai was potentially down to doing an unexpected one-stop strategy, Ferrari should have been able to account for the plank wear that saw Hamilton lose out on his points tally.

The car may suit the track in Japan better, with Hamilton having already won at Suzuka on four occasions, and up until last year, he’d never finished outside of the top five at the circuit.

Ferrari, according to Corriere.it, will be bringing a new floor to the following race in Bahrain, which could give them the edge they need to catch McLaren.

Schumacher doesn’t think Hamilton would survive against Max Verstappen at Red Bull, but believes he’s got the speed to thrive at Ferrari over the coming weeks and months.