Ralf Schumacher has voiced skepticism over Ferrari's decision to recruit Lewis Hamilton as Carlos Sainz's successor for next year, suggesting the move might have been premature.
While Sainz has not yet secured another position for 2025 and beyond, seven-time world champion Hamilton's transfer is confirmed, with signs of strain now appearing in his relationship with Mercedes.
"At Monaco, Hamilton made clear that he felt he was at a disadvantage," Schumacher conveyed to formel1.de. "Let's not forget that he is leaving a team that is starting to focus on George Russell."
Schumacher acknowledges Hamilton as "a world class driver" despite currently lagging behind Russell in performance. He questions, however, the logic behind Ferrari's decision to displace Sainz from partnering with Charles Leclerc.
"My gut feeling is that they should have kept both drivers," Schumacher expressed.
Yet, he suspects that Ferrari's team principal, Frederic Vasseur, might not be experiencing much remorse over the decision.
"The contract is far too big for that," he stated, "with far too much money involved. I don't know who came up with the idea, but the problem is that Carlos Sainz is a good number 1.5 driver," the German explained. "You can't actually call him a number 2.
"He really came close to Leclerc and that's why I thought the team was extremely good already. I don't know who exactly expects more from Hamilton."
"Of course Hamilton wanted to leave because he wants an eighth title and he knows that it will not work out at Mercedes at the moment," Ralf noted. "The question is, how much more is he willing to give for it? In terms of fighting spirit, he is simply not a (Fernando) Alonso."
