In view of Lewis Hamilton’s impending move to Ferrari, former Formula 1 driver and current TV expert Ralf Schumacher has drawn a comparison between the Brit and his brother Michael Schumacher, who had his most successful time in F1 with the Scuderia.
They are both record world champions in Formula 1, have collected a total of seven titles, and from 2025 you can also say that they both drove for Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher have a lot in common. Nevertheless – with a view to the Brit’s upcoming commitment to the Reds – there are things that are different, and Ralf Schumacher has now highlighted these.
“The biggest difference is that, among many other characteristics, Michael was able to work with the engineers to develop a car perfect for his driving style. Lewis can’t do that,” Schumi’s brother emphasized to “Sport 1” and added with Blick on Hamilton: “He’s never been able to do that, if you listen carefully to what the Mercedes technicians say.”
But that wasn’t necessarily the case for the Silver Arrows. “Toto Wolff has emphasized more than once that a driver should accelerate and the engineers should develop,” explained Schumacher, but added: “But he also said that because his drivers apparently weren’t able to provide the right input give.”
This was not the case with Ferrari and Schumi between 1996 and 2006, when the German won five of his seven world championship titles. “Michel was completely different,” said the younger of the Schumacher brothers. “He always gave direction to his confidants like Ross Brawn and Jean Todt.”
In the end, it will be even harder for Hamilton in 2025. “Because Charles Leclerc is the top dog. Everyone in the team knows him. For Lewis, everything at Ferrari is new. In addition, Michael came to Ferrari as the current world champion and was much younger. That’s not the case with Lewis,” said the 49-year-old came out.